There is still no official confirmation on the fate of Piranha Bytes, but the German newspaper GameStar carried out some investigations to find out if the rumors about its potential closure were true, unfortunately only finding confirmations. In short, Embracer Group could be having killed the historic German studio, to which we owe the Gothic, Risen and Elex series.
The situation is serious
We had already reported to you how suspicious the situation was, also talking about the probable cancellation of Elex 3. In summary: the studio's official website has been practically closed, the YouTube channel has been stopped for some time and the WIKI6 project, code name of Elex 3, was removed from the list of financially supported games by the German Ministry of Economic Affairs.
As the hours passed, the rumors multiplied. GameStar contacted several sources, defined as reliable and independent, as well as close to Piranha Bytes, and they all spoke of a study on the brink of the abyss.
According to what has been reconstructed, the initial project of Embracer Group was to sell Piranha Bytes, but no one came forward. Then, in December 2023, the layoffs began, with the process still not over. However, all sources confirm that Piranha Bytes no longer exists, at least not as it did before.
It is paradoxical that one of Embracer Group's flagship games for 2024 is the remake of the first Gothic, entrusted to Alkimia Interactive (a Spanish studio).
Currently THQ Nordicthe label that runs Piranha Bytes, has not officially commented on the rumors.
According to GameStar, the closure of the studio has not yet been announced due to German layoff laws, which make it much more complicated than in other countries to remove people, especially those with a long service life. The hypothesis, therefore, is that Piranha Bytes still exists only on paper, i.e. for purely bureaucratic reasons.
However, GameStar sources speak of the possibility that the Piranha Bytes brand will continue to exist in some way and that some developers will be relocated to other Embracer Group studios. Furthermore, there is always the possibility that someone will acquire Piranha Bytes with all its intellectual properties, although at this point that is really unlikely to happen.
#Piranha #Bytes #rumors #confirm #risk #Embracer #Group #killed #historic #studio
