Rune: Ragnarok - Interview with Devs

Wccftech interview Human Head Studios developers about open world RPG Rune: Ragnarok.

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It's been a long time since Rune. Why resume the franchise now?

Rune holds a very special place in our hearts here at Human Head. It was the first game we released back in 2000 and we've wanted to create a sequel for years. It's amazing how many fan letters and emails we receive asking if we'll ever create Rune 2!

Why now? The time was right where we had a team available to work on a new Rune. We found a partner willing to fund the project and give us the creative freedom to create something that is true to the original Rune but also modernizes the franchise.

Do you consider this to be a direct sequel or otherwise?

It's not a direct sequel in that it doesn't continue Ragnar's story from the original Rune. This new game is set a long time after the original during the end of days, Ragnarok. If you're not familiar with the mythology, Ragnarok begins and a great war breaks out between humans, giants, and beasts. The Gods themselves fight and many of them die. At the end, the world is consumed by fire and reborn anew.

In Rune: Ragnarok, the world has not been reborn anew. The battle has raged on for seven years. Most people have perished. You're one of the remaining humans, trying to survive and bring about an end to Ragnarok.

Will there be any characters, maps etc. from 2001's Rune?

Maps aren't directly copied, but we are looking at what aspects of maps we can use as inspiration and possibly bring forward. Characters: There will definitely be interactions with the Gods. Which ones, exactly, will be revealed soon!

Which engine are you using for Rune: Ragnarok? How long has the project been in development and how many developers are working on it?

We're using Unreal Engine 4. Seems fitting since the original Rune was developed using Unreal 1!

We publicly talked about reviving Rune 2 in 2012, but we officially started development this year. We've had a lot of time to come up with ideas since the original Rune, though.

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I remember first Rune game fondly. It was a great TPS game back in the day. But I don't know I can enjoy it if I play it right now.

Originally Posted by Gokyabgu
I remember first Rune game fondly. It was a great TPS game back in the day. But I don't know I can enjoy it if I play it right now.

Other than Deus Ex, I'm not sure I could still enjoy anything made with the original Unreal engine. That's some really dated tech now.

I'm interested in seeing where this goes though. An open-world RPG made with Unreal Engine 4 has a huge amount of potential.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Other than Deus Ex, I'm not sure I could still enjoy anything made with the original Unreal engine. That's some really dated tech now.

I'm interested in seeing where this goes though. An open-world RPG made with Unreal Engine 4 has a huge amount of potential.

Ah…. Unreal Tournament… I miss thee so.

I remember when I was a kid and reading in a magazine back in 1999 that RUNE was about to go gold. Heh. Great action-adventure game. Kind of disappointing they jumped on the "open-world RPG" bandwagon though.