Embracer closes Gothic and Risen studio with 27 years of history

The fall of Embracer Group continues to put an end to the present and history of several studios and it was recently reported that one of them with 27 years of history and responsible for 2 very well-known franchises on PC closed its doors in the most silent way possible.

Another Embracer study reported to be closed

According to various reports, the German studio Piranha Bytes responsible for franchises such as Gothic and Risen closed its doors last June in total discretion and as part of the list of those who fell after the debacle of Embracer, once a European giant that sought to position itself as a leader in this market in the consolidation stage of the industry. In this regard, there are 2 facts that are relevant given that no official announcement was made about the closure of Piranha Bytes, First, the inactivity of the studio account on X, whose last post was on January 22, 2024 where it is revealed that the studio is going through serious problems, but at that time the developers remained optimistic.

Then there is the recent revelation by Jennifer and Bjorn Pankratz, who were part of Piranha Bytes, of the formation of a new company, Pithead Studio, which will focus on independent projects. This has been considered as the definitive end of Piranha Bytes, which, unfortunately, did not have a public closure, as everything indicates that Embracer handled it internally.

Piranha Bytes was founded in Germany in 1997 and was known in the PC scene for its action role-playing franchises. Gothic and Risen which later made the leap to consoles.

This closure follows that of Pieces Interactive, the team that was in charge of the remake | reboot of Alone in the Dark which was a commercial failure despite having some positive reviews. As anticipated, 2024 is being a year of studio closures and in the case of Embracer the bad moment does not stop.

Stay informed at LEVEL UP.

Source 1, Source 2, Source 3