Rune II publisher Ragnarok Game has expressed surprise at the closure of developer Human Head Studios, which came just a day after the title launched.

Despite working with Human Head on what turned out to be the studio's final release before it shut down and reformed as part of Bethesda Softworks, Ragnarok said it was caught out by the news. 

"[Rune II] developer Human Head Studios announced that they closed their doors and will be starting a new studio. This is shocking news to us, as there are several entities working on Rune II -- we found out about this news when you did," wrote the publisher in a statement. 

"Human Head had a longstanding agreement with Rune's publisher, Ragnarok Game, LLC, to provide ongoing support for the game. We are working quickly to resolve any current technical issues while we build the team that will execute the exciting planned future of Rune II's post-launch content strategy."

The publisher also intends to ensure Rune II launches on other platforms in 2020 as previously planned, and said the title has already exceeded expectations after launching on Windows PC. 

As for Human Head, the studio is now operating as Roundhouse Studios as part of the Bethesda family, and continues to be led by long-time creative director Chris Rhinehart. It has already begun working on a slate of "unannounced projects" at the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls publisher.