Piranha Bytes, the creators of the Gothic, Risen and Elex series – INDIAN, is considered another closed studio.

German studio Piranha Bites become another victim of poor financial situation Hug group. The authors of the Gothic, Risen and Elex series have been feared by fans since the beginning of the year, pointing to obvious evidence.

While waiting for official information, the German GameStar server learned from reliable and independent sources that Piranha Bytes practically no longer exists. The Swedish holding company Embracer Group initially wanted to sell the studio, but the search for a new owner was unsuccessful. Therefore, in December 2023, Piranha Bytes employees began receiving notifications. This process has not yet continued because German law does not allow for rapid release, as in the United States. As for contracts, termination may take several months.

There should still be a theoretical chance that there will be a buyer who will keep the Piranha Bytes. Within Embracer, some developers may be transferred to other studios.

Before GameStar’s report, fans paid attention to the studio’s official website. Those from the end of last year. they gape into emptiness, they just have the Piranha Bytes logo on them. “Silence” is also on YouTube. The last video appeared on the team’s official account on November 27, 2023. In it, studio head Bjorn Pankratz says they will hopefully meet again next week – but the usual Piranha Becken TV format has not been released since then. Conversely, the Twitter account (X) remains active.

Another convincing sign was the deletion of the project. VIKI6 from the list of games that received financial support from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) in 2023. It is supposed to be hidden in WIKI6. Elex 3The German Ministry supported him with more than 3.17 million euros.

There has been no official announcement at the time of writing. But it’s increasingly likely that this time the executioner’s ax has fallen on Piranha Bytes. The German studio has long passed its best years and Elex 2 things haven’t gone very well since 2022. It is quite clear that Embracer stopped the development of Elex 3 as part of the investigation. As for the remake of the first Gothic, it is safe; it is being prepared by the Spanish studio Alkimia Interactive.

Last year, Embracer Group laid off more than 900 people worldwide and closed studios Volition (Saints Row) and Free Radical Design (TimeSplitters). For example, Crystal Dynamics, New World Interactive, 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks or the German studio Fishlabs were fired. The vast majority of studio employees have been laid off this year Lost Boys Interactivewhich is a division of Gearbox Entertainment and contributed to the comic book shooters Gearbox Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Blizzard’s Diablo 4.

Embracer’s CEO previously noted that large-scale restructuring will continue in 2024. That’s because Embracer failed to secure a $2 billion deal with Saudi Arabian company Savvy Games Group.