Ragnarok acquires Rune II source code, but the lawsuit still stands

Ragnarok has gotten the source code for Rune II, meaning that the game will now be supported by the publisher after Human Head Studios shut down (via MCV/Develop).

It was “devastating” to confront the “economic realities” weighing down Human Head Studios, said creative director Chris Rhinehardt. “We reached out to our friends at Bethesda for help, and they saw the same creativity and passion in our team. With the formation of Roundhouse Studios, Bethesda offered every employee of Human Head a position at the new company,” explained Rhinehardt. “We are excited our team will remain together, pursuing the work we love, as part of a company we already know and admire.”

Under Bethesda Softworks, the newly-formed Roundhouse Studios is working on “unannounced projects”. However, Rune II publisher Ragnarok claimed that it had been blindsided by the Human Head Studios shutdown. Suing the developer for “breach of contract,” “fraudulent misrepresentation,” and “unfair business practices”, the publisher said that Human Head Studios did not complete its contractual obligations and abandoned the game with no intention to support it. Ragnarok wanted to “fulfill our promises to our community”, but this wasn’t possible, because Human Head Studios allegedly refused to give the team the source code for Rune II.

Fortunately, the source code has now been passed to Ragnarok which will allow its developers to “begin working on a patch to address the top critical issues, bugs, and optimizations that we have seen reported over the last month and a half.” The lawsuit is still happening, though, as a representative told PC Gamer that it will continue to “evaluate whether all of Ragnarok's property has been returned” while it implements support for Rune II. The publisher expressed its appreciation for the community’s patience and enthusiasm while waiting for news regarding the game’s status. 

Rune II is out now for PC on the Epic Games Store.