Prey 2 "will not be released in 2012," Bethesda Softworks announced this morning. The game has apparently "not been canceled," but, at this point, doesn't match Bethesda's "quality standards."

Bethesda released a statement this morning revealing the delay. "The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year," it reads. Despite the game showing "great promise," according to Bethesda, the publisher said it's "unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule."

The Human Head-developed sequel to 2006's Prey had rumors regarding its cancellation earlier this year - rumors which Bethesda refused to engage at the time. Given Bethesda's track record with shooting down cancellation rumors, that put Prey 2 in a nebulous place for the past month.