Gothic Creator Piranha Bytes Has Reportedly Been Shut Down

Gothic creator Piranha Bytes has been shut down as a result of its ongoing crisis, according to the latest report.

According to a report from CD-Action, Piranha Bytes was ceased operations and shut down by the end of June, 2024. One of the studio’s employees had earlier reached out to the publication and informed it of its crisis situation. The same individual has now informed that the Gothic creator is no longer operational.

As per the source, the crisis had persisted for a long time, but potential investors occasionally showed interest in helping the studio. It had anticipated a cash injection of 3 million Euros. Despite being one of the most popular game studios in the region, Piranha Bytes was not bought out, and financing from Embracer only supported the development team until June, 2024. During this period, many employees left for more secure employment.

Plans after a potential takeover included moving away from the Elex series, and to develop a new dark fantasy title using Unreal Engine 5 that would have been similar to Gothic. In December, the lighting and animations were further refined, which, according to the informant, had previously been the cause of considerable criticism.

The current president of Piranha Bytes, Michael Rueve, has not yet commented on the fate of the company. According to the informant, however, an official statement will not come from the studio, and it has quietly ceased to exist.

Piranha Bytes is a German game developer best known for the Gothic and Risen role-playing game series. The company was founded in 1997 and was acquired by Phenomedia in 1999. After Phenomedia filed for insolvency in May 2002, Piranha Bytes’ management bought out the studio. THQ Nordic, part of the Embracer Group, acquired Piranha Bytes in May 2019. Since then, the studio has faced trouble and been a state of crisis.