The studio-killing fallout of Embracer's acquisition frenzy continues to fall like ash on the industry. The publishing giant has reportedly closed Piranha Bytes, the studio known for cult RPGs like Gothic, Risen, and Elex, according to a worker who spoke to Polish games site CD-Action. The studio's existence had been under threat since early this year, after being targeted in Embracer's purgatorial studio massacre. At that time the German studio were hopeful to avoid being closed down, insisting "don't write us off yet!" Unfortunately, it looks like those who worked at the studio have since been laid off.
]]>Embracer Group is once again doing sterling work to demonstrate the perils of consolidation. Piranha Bytes, who are one of well over a hundred studios that Embracer bought up in recent years, today posted a statement on Xitter saying "Don't write us off yet!". The statement goes on to say that they're "convinced they will succeed". Succeed at what, you might ask? Not being shut down by Embracer.
]]>Gothic was one of those PC games I dismissed as being for nerds. Me? I was too busy making Half-Life levels and reading Championship Manager fanfic to be interested in some game about mages in a hole.
I've since realised the errors of my ways, and I quite fancy the chance to correct my previous wrongs via the Gothic 1 remake. There's a new trailer for it and its big modern hole below.
]]>THQ Nordic announced today that they've established a new studio to make Gothic Remake, a fancy modern take on the fantasy RPG from 2001. This is the do-over they first revealed with a 'playable teaser' in 2019, which they released supposedly to gauge whether it was worth continuing. Based in Barcelona, Alkimia Interactive actually started up in summer 2020, but now THQ Nordic are out here shouting about the paperwork being settled.
]]>THQ Nordic are going ahead with their Gothic Remake, a do-over of the 2001 fantasy RPG. They released a public playable prototype in December and, having surveyed players, today announced reactions were positive enough for them to think it worthwhile. They did note that they're aware that not all the Gothic Playable Teaser's new design decisions and artistic changes were popular, and say they'll have a think about all that before getting stuck right into the remake.
]]>Do people want a remake of Piranha Bytes' 2001 fantasy RPG Gothic? Maybe, series owners THQ Nordic think, so they've made a prototype of a remake and last night gave it to fans to see what they think. This prototype looks all shiny and new, obviously, while also modernising other parts of the old formula. The company say that if people like this wee teaser, they'll go ahead with remaking the whole thing. If not, they won't. The prototype is available now to anyone who owns a Piranha Bytes game on Steam.
]]>THQ Nordic continue to hoover up studios and games that make many go "Oh huh, yeah, they could be neat," today announcing they've bought Piranha Bytes. They're the German studio who created Gothic, Risen, and Elex, three open-world RPG series with varying degrees of promise and wonk that make many go "Oh huh, yeah, they could be neat." Along with the team, THQ Nordic have bought the rights to those three and do hint that a sequel to 2017's Elex is coming. Perhaps THQ Nordic can give Piranha Bytes the cash they need to exorcise some of their jank.
]]>One of the many nebulous concepts that spring up when writing about games is "a sense of place". We talk about worlds and locations and settings, but often these boil down to unusual geography or art direction – surface details and imagery rather than a real identity.
Gothic, by contrast, wasn't particularly pretty. Its setting wasn't the singular underground world of Arx Fatalis, nor the varied alien landscape of Morrowind. Instead, Piranha Bytes recognised back in 2001 that a place is a place not because of its landscape or biome or buildings, but because the people there make it one.
Most RPGs have NPC traffic. Gothic had a society.
]]>"Eclectic, Lavish, Exhilarating, Xenial", was how Risen and Gothic developers Piranha Bytes described their forthcoming post-apocalyptic open world RPG ELEX [official site] when they announced it last year. I reckon they were being purposefully tongue-in-cheek, but either way we didn't have all too much to go on back then beyond the initial idea.
Fast forward the better part of a year, and a website overhaul, a load of new info and a fresh "mood" trailer now offer us a better understanding of what it's all about. Observe:
]]>I've been travelling for 25 hours, and now I'm in Utah. There's snow, and buildings made from wood. Why do I tell you this? Because I'm knackered and want to have a little moan. Pity me. Weep for me. Tell me you love me.
Cheery news, however: 1) there's a big pot of coffee right next to me. 2) Gothic creators Piranha Bytes might be getting their original franchise/universe back, having had to hand over the rights to erstwhile publisher JoWood some time ago.
]]>The Gothic series often gets mentioned in comments here (usually while you lot are slagging off other RPGs), at which point the RPS hivemind has to don a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and sneak away while no-one's looking. We are none of us, you see, terribly familiar with the much-adored German RPG series - which just about makes us Antichrists in the eyes of the cRPG devout. I have a dim and distant memory of suffering almost immediate brutal murder when dabbling with Gothic II years ago, but that's about it. One day, when I have 100 hours to spare, I'll catch up. One day.
Until then, all I can do is point hopefully at the announcement of Risen, a brand new RPG and setting from Gothic devs Piranha Bytes.
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