Raven Software became known in the 90s with the launch of games like Heretic or Hexen on PC. At that time, they represented a breath of fresh air in the field of first-person shooters, placing the studio among the best in the business. Over time, Raven became part of Activision and was in charge of certain versions of Call of Duty.
However, it seems that in 2019 the studio had the development of the return of one of its classic IPs in hand, even if it ultimately did not come to fruition.
A classic Raven IP had a playable prototype for its return
That’s what the profile says. Michael Gummelt’s LinkedIn, currently Chief Experience Officer at Zenimax Online Studios, formerly part of Raven Software. In his CV we can see how between June 2029 and March 2020 worked as lead designer on the unreleased sequel to a landmark studio IP. With this description it is clear that it can only be Hexen or Heretic.
Additionally, he mentions that there were two “highly playable prototypes“, so development seems to have progressed pretty well until it was put aside to support Warzone and its enormous success.
But what could this tell us? On paper, the studio intended to develop a game that would revive one of its classic games. But if you think about it, Phil Spencer commented in the context of the Activision acquisition (Raven Software is owned by Activision and therefore now part of Xbox) that he would love bring back classic games
Connecting the dots, it should come as no surprise that Xbox gave the green light to this development, taking advantage of the previous work that we know today thanks to the profile of Michael Gummelt, who, coincidentally, is again linked to the company which holds the rights to the sagas and owns the studio. Will we see the long-awaited return of Hexen in the not-too-distant future?
About Xbox Game Studios
Xbox Game Studios is a division of Microsoft dedicated to the creation and publishing of video games. The company is responsible for some of the most popular Xbox titles, such as Halo, Forza, Starfield, Grounded, Sea of Thieves or Gears of War.
How many studios does Xbox have?
Microsoft’s gaming division currently has 34 active studios, with Activision Blizzard King and Bethesda being its latest acquisitions. Studios such as Tango Gameworks, Infinity Ward, Raven Software, Sledgehammer Games, Machine Gun Games are now part of this division’s conglomerate.