Another Day, Another Leak: This Time, A Thief II Prototype Surfaced!

General news News 09/20/2022

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It’s getting amazing: first Diablo IV was leaked, then Grand Theft Auto VI became perhaps the most significant leak of the decade, and now, an unfinished version of an older game has been revealed to the internet…

This time it’s Looking Glass Studios’ Thief II: The Metal Age, which was released for PC in March 2000. A prototype of it, dated November 4, 1999, still a good five months away from release, was published by The Project Eclipse Team as part of a larger package (MediEvil prototype, September 7, 1997, PS1; Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! September 15, 1999 prototype, PS1, as well as an already available version dated August 11; MediEvil II February 28, 2000 prototype, PS1; Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor March 24 and May 27, 1999 prototypes, PC; Heroes of Might and Magic III February 16, 1999 prototype, PC; Dino Crisis August 3, 1999 prototype, PS1; Akuji the Heartless November 11, 1998 prototype, PS1; Shadow Vault March 29, 2004 prototype, PC; Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain July 10, 1999 prototype, PC; Gran Turismo July 29, 1997 prototype, PS1; but there is more press content…).

Romain Barrilliot, one of Arkane Studios’ level designers, is a vast Thief fan and described on Twitter how the prototype differs from the retail version. All levels are playable in this build, but their state of completion varies quite a bit. For example, the fifth level (Eavesdropping) and the last stage (Sabotage at Soulforge) are barely started, but the bank robbery mission is almost complete. There is no shortage of differences: the second level (Shipping and Receiving) has three discoverable buildings in the prototype instead of two; the textures of the Framed police station are entirely different; the names of the missions have also been changed (the 9th one in the prototype is called Trace the Courier, which is the same as the 8th one, and is called Trail of Blood in the retail version; Life of Party is here called An Unexpected Guest).

A subtle difference is that in the prototype of Thief II, objects from another Looking Glass game appear as a placeholder, temporary objects. The enemies and the security cameras are from System Shock 2… so it’s worth visiting the Hidden Palace site. The other prototypes listed are also available here!

Source: PCGamer

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Angyal Anikó

Anikó, our news editor and communication manager, is more interested in the business side of the gaming industry. She worked at banks, and she has a vast knowledge of business life. Still, she likes puzzle and story-oriented games, like Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, which is her favourite title. She also played The Sims 3, but after accidentally killing a whole sim family, swore not to play it again. (For our office address, email and phone number check out our IMPRESSUM)