1705737047
The Piranha Bytes website currently only consists of this logo (Image: THQ Nordic)
The rumors don’t stop – and there is no clear denial: Embracer Group is still planning to work with Piranha Bytes (Gothic, Alex)?
Update from January 18, 2024 (10 a.m.): Of a “Mistake” says the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) with regard to the listing of the Piranha Bytes project in the official databases. Upon request, the ministry confirmed that the game had the working title WIKI6 (Grant: €3.2 million / completion by 2026) was in fact not available on the website.
The reason given by the BMWK is the renaming of the project, which is now under the working title Currywurst – presumably based on the studio’s headquarters in Essen.
The ministry also confirms that – unlike the planned and now discontinued game from the Hamburg Embracer studio Fishlabs – it is now a game “ongoing project” acts. Piranha Bytes has therefore not yet withdrawn the application – possibly with a view to a ‘dowry’ worth millions if the studio and trademark rights are transferred to a new publisher or investor.
The BMWK subsidies as part of the games funding are paid out step by step and distributed over the entire development period – in this case: until the beginning of 2026.
Update from January 17, 2024 (3 p.m.): In a current article, colleagues from the games podcast The Pod add more puzzle pieces to the overall picture that is becoming solidified. Accordingly, THQ Nordic had already actively tried to sell the studio in autumn 2023 – which explains why relevant information circulated in the German industry for the first time in the same period.
However, the prospects have obviously deteriorated recently – or at least not improved substantially: after temporary short-time work, the employees were laid off; Creative director and Piranha Bytes veteran Björn Pankratz is said to have already left the studio. Nevertheless, we are still looking for a viable solution for the team and project.
Remarkable: Out of nowhere, another Piranha Bytes game appeared on the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ website during the day – now with the working title “Currywurst”. All other key figures are identical to the €3.2 million project WIKI6which will continue to be listed under this name in the federal database. A requested statement from the ministry is not yet available.
Report from January 17, 2024 (12 p.m.): For several weeks now, a colorful bouquet of speculation, rumors and verifiable facts has been fueling the rumors that have been wafting through the industry since last autumn and have now also reached consumer media. Accordingly, there is justified concern about one of the best-known and most traditional game developers in Germany: Piranha Bytes GmbH in Essen.
Specifically, the studio is said to be on the verge of closure – this has not been officially confirmed.
The 35-strong team has been working on rustic role-playing series like… since 1997 Gothic, Risen and Alex made a name for itself – in 2019 the company became a subsidiary of the Viennese publisher THQ Nordic, which in turn belongs to the Swedish Embracer Group. The listed company is considered the largest publisher in Europe alongside Ubisoft and has been fighting high debts and the consequences of turbo growth since 2023 with a strict savings program.
More than 900 jobs and several traditional studios have already fallen victim to the Embracer cure – including in Germany. At Fishlabs GmbH in Hamburg alone – which won the German Computer Game Prize in 2022 – 50 jobs were lost shortly before Christmas. The as yet unannounced PC and console game planned for 2026 (working title: Project Black) is no longer being developed further. It was only in spring 2023 that the Ministry of Economic Affairs (BMWK) promised more than €5.5 million in funding – the disbursement of these funds was stopped.
The evidence now suggests that this scenario is also used like a blueprint for Piranha Bytes:
- In this case too, the federal government contributed €3.2 million to the development. The project has recently no longer been listed on the BMWK website; The game with the title is in the official subsidy database WIKI6 however, still listed. Planned completion: early 2026 – two years at the earliest.
- At WIKI6 According to reports, this is about Alex 3. The predecessor Alex 2 was released on March 1, 2022 – just a week after the role-playing blockbuster Elden Ring. The unfortunate timing is one of several reasons why Embracer management’s sales expectations were initially not fulfilled. At least in the medium and long term, the development costs should be recouped. Whether this was successful is an open question.
- The YouTube format Piranha Becken TV has been idle since the end of November – no further episode was announced.
- The studio’s official website has recently only consisted of a logo and imprint – the original content has disappeared.
Computer games funding: The 32 largest games projects (as of December 8, 2023)
The responsible body that could end all speculation from now on and provide clarity is in Vienna: But THQ Nordic (where all trademark rights to the Piranha Bytes games are located) does not want to comment on the status quo when asked – and vice versa means that there is a lack of a clear commitment that business as usual is taking place in Essen.
According to GamesWirtschaft research, the Embracer Group continues to be the largest employer in the video games industry in German-speaking countries. CEO Lars Wingefors’ extensive games empire includes the German-Austrian publisher Plaion (Dead Island 2), also Black Forest Games (Destroy all humans!), Grimlore Games (Titan Quest 2), Mobile Games (TownsMen), Kaiko in Frankfurt and Piranha Bytes. In total, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has promised all of these studios more than €20 million in grants for games projects.
Further inquiries are ongoing – post will be updated immediately.
The largest games companies in Germany (according to employees) – as of: September 21, 2023 (v1)
#Piranha #Bytes #Future #Embracer #Studio #open #Update