Gothic and Risen developer Piranha Bytes seems to have been shut down by dad or mum firm THQ Nordic (itself owned by Embracer Group), if a brand new report is to be believed.
In keeping with a report by Polish gaming information platform CD-Motion, the developer, which is understood for mechanically clunky however formidable RPGs like Risen, Gothic, and Elex, was shut down in direction of the tip of final month.
The report claims that Piranha Bytes was anticipating funding to reach from an investor for its newest mission, which CD-Motion says would have been a Gothic-style darkish fantasy RPG created in Unreal Engine 5.
It is price noting that CD-Motion merely cites an nameless “supply” who’s supposedly a Piranha Bytes worker, however since that worker is not named, make certain to take this report with a pinch of salt.
It does, nonetheless, line up with what we already learn about Piranha Bytes’ scenario. Again in January, the studio described its scenario as “tough”, imploring followers to not “write us off but” close to an unannounced mission.
Piranha Bytes mentioned on the time that it will “do no matter it takes” to discover a publishing and funding associate for the mission, however it appears that evidently if CD-Motion’s report is appropriate, these efforts sadly have not borne fruit.
Moreover, Piranha Bytes artistic director and longtime staffer Björn Pankratz introduced earlier as we speak that he has based a brand new indie studio, Pithead, alongside along with his spouse Jennifer, though his LinkedIn web page nonetheless lists him as a present worker of Piranha Bytes.
If Piranha Bytes has certainly been closed, then meaning the studio’s last mission was 2022’s Elex 2, an motion RPG very a lot within the Piranha Bytes custom. There are worse methods to exit, eh?
In fact, this would possibly not impression the upcoming Gothic remake. Though Piranha Bytes was the developer for the unique Gothic, the brand new mission is being labored on by an inner THQ Nordic studio and would not contain Piranha Bytes.
We contacted THQ Nordic for additional info on this story, however they refused to touch upon the scenario. Watch this area for more information.