Piranha Bytes has shut down, Bjorn Pankratz founds new studio

[Reinhardt]

it finally croaked?

 

[Zanzoken]

Sad to see another iconic RPG developer in its death throes, but I also can't disagree with many of the comments here.

To give an honest appraisal of PB you have to admit they are one of the biggest underachievers in the history of cRPGs. One would think that 25 years of making the same game over and over again would result in that game becoming pretty fucking amazing. Each new title should build on the strengths of its predecessor while addressing its flaws and expanding the formula in new and exciting directions.

And yet with PB it has always been ups and downs, and a bizarre pattern where the early games in each series are the best ones (Gothic 1 and 2, Risen 1, ELEX 1) and the slam dunk sequels all suck ass (Gothic 3, Risen 2 and 3, ELEX 2). How do you explain that?

Ultimately I don't think anyone at PB can say they weren't given a chance to succeed. Most studios are killed off after one or two bad games, but PB survived a lot more than that.

 

[mediocrepoet]

fret not everyone. im sure these guys will bounce back, start a new company and make a new rpg that has your charter wash up on a beach resulting in you having to deal with several different factions.

So if some of these guys teamed up with ex-Bethsoft devs, it'd have to be your prison ship wrecked on an island, leaving you to your fate. Actually, it'd probably be the start of Morrowind.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Speaking as someone whose first introduction to PB was the boxed release version of Gothic 3, "Good riddance."

I saw some potential in Risen and Elex, but they never seemed to fire on all cylinders.

You could have started with Forsaken Gods for maximum unfun.

I'm not sure that would be true. When FG came out, it was already known that G3 was a dumpster fire and even the Community patch couldn't solve that.

When G3 came out, it was hyped to all hell and plebs like me are like, "Well G2:NotR gets a lot of love, and these previews are interesting, this should be a great time!" Followed by the gaming equivalent of until uninstallation.

I still have that fucking box on my shelf. Maybe I'll burn it in effigy.

I still have Gothic 3 poster on my wall............

 

[flushfire]

I think the combat system of Risen with a stamina bar and a little less jank could have been great.

It's already great without the stamina bar. It doesn't need it. Not every game has to be a tryhard souls-like. You can spam click all you want, you won't get anywhere. It was already responsive and emphasized timing. If any what it needed was just tweaking special moves and better enemy variety.

 

[Zoo]

I think the combat system of Risen with a stamina bar and a little less jank could have been great.

It's already great without the stamina bar. It doesn't need it. Not every game has to be a tryhard souls-like. You can spam click all you want, you won't get anywhere. It was already responsive and emphasized timing. If any what it needed was just tweaking special moves and better enemy variety.

Yes, it was very good even without it. I am not a huge Souls fan, I like Severance: Blade of Darkness more. I think stamina bar could help against infinite stunlock, if it apply to the beasts, too (which was not the case in G3, as I can recall). Not only the wolves of G3 have stunlock, the boars of R1 were irritating, too, even if they were manageable. I don't think stamina bar is mandatory, but I would have readily try it in Risen.

It's a shame, action RPGs with proper RPG system usually have bad combat. (One of the reasons why Dragon's Dogma is great.) The better games of Piranha Bytes don't need to be ashamed of their combat. However, their weaker games certainly must be ashamed. It's almost amusing after G1 and G2 and before R1, how terribad is the combat in G3.

 

[toro]

They are not dead. Bjorn is out. Roses are red. Violets are blue.

It's not over I look forward to any game from them without that retard.

edit 1: They are probably working on a pitch for a new game cause THQ cannot kill them yet (in case they do then they have to give the money back to the German government). Elex 3 is probably dead.

edit 2: There is a chance they will continue with Elex 3 but God is my witness! I want that shit killed asap. Elex 2 is the point when the divorce happened between the community and the company. There is no point in doing a sequel to an already dead franchise.

In any case, there is no way another publisher will not jump to save them. Even in the retarded state they are.

edit 2: Infinitron it's on their facebook page.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

If they actually try to lure in a new publisher using ELEX 3 as a bait I would take it as the confirmation they are a bunch of retards.

But given that according to these rumors they parted ways with the previous leadership precisely because he wanted to go in that direction (which incidentally proves he was part of the problem from the start) they may be at least self aware enough to avoid the blunder.

Now, pitching something good and being actually picked by a publisher willing to give them ANOTHER chance is a different matter entirely…

 

[Falksi]

The early Gothic games are obviously where it's at, but Risen 2 is way better than most action-RPGs of that era. The humour and smatterings of sexism and racism alone has it head and shoulders above a ton of others...



Big shame 3 abandoned that direction.

 

[flushfire]

That's great, but Risen 2's combat is stage 4 cancer. It's worse than even Witcher 2's. Even Amalur's was better than that shit

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

That's great, but Risen 2's combat is stage 4 cancer. It's worse than even Witcher 2's. Even Amalur's was better than that shit

Yeah, which makes almost remarkable that ELEX managed to be arguably worse at times.
And Gothic 3 DEFINITELY worse.

 

[Falksi]

That's great, but Risen 2's combat is stage 4 cancer. It's worse than even Witcher 2's. Even Amalur's was better than that shit

Most of it was, but once you get guns on the go it plays like a janky shooter, and it's perfectly serviceable. Certainly good enough so that you can just enjoy the Roleplaying aspects of it.

 

[Kem0sabe]

In any case, there is no way another publisher will not jump to save them. Even in the retarded state they are.

What makes PB so desirable? They have lived off the rotting corpse of Gothic 1&2 for more than two decades, incapable of releasing a successful game.

Wish they would just die already, so we dont have to put up with the ridiculous Gothic fan community coping over every shit release PB does.

 

[thesecret1]

If they actually try to lure in a new publisher using ELEX 3 as a bait I would take it as the confirmation they are a bunch of retards.

But given that according to these rumors they parted ways with the previous leadership precisely because he wanted to go in that direction (which incidentally proves he was part of the problem from the start) they may be at least self aware enough to avoid the blunder.

Now, pitching something good and being actually picked by a publisher willing to give them ANOTHER chance is a different matter entirely…

"Hey we got rid of retarded leadership that hated Gothic and want to make a gothic clone a fantasy game in a new setting. We are a studio of industry veterans that have worked on titles such as Gothic, Gothic 2, and Gothic 2:NotR. Did I mention we made Gothic? So yeah, please bail us out so we can make totally-not-Gothic again. Gothic."

Release that as a press statement and they can probably get fucking crowdfunded for their next project.

 

[toro]

In any case, there is no way another publisher will not jump to save them. Even in the retarded state they are.

What makes PB so desirable? They have lived off the rotting corpse of Gothic 1&2 for more than two decades, incapable of releasing a successful game.

Wish they would just die already, so we dont have to put up with the ridiculous Gothic fan community coping over every shit release PB does.

They have a well-known name although they don't deserve that name atm.

They still have some specific knowhow which would take time to build in other companies.

A competent publisher could extract some profit from them.

And I think they could pull off a great small-scale Gothic like game.

 

[toro]

If they actually try to lure in a new publisher using ELEX 3 as a bait I would take it as the confirmation they are a bunch of retards.

But given that according to these rumors they parted ways with the previous leadership precisely because he wanted to go in that direction (which incidentally proves he was part of the problem from the start) they may be at least self aware enough to avoid the blunder.

Now, pitching something good and being actually picked by a publisher willing to give them ANOTHER chance is a different matter entirely…

"Hey we got rid of retarded leadership that hated Gothic and want to make a gothic clone a fantasy game in a new setting. We are a studio of industry veterans that have worked on titles such as Gothic, Gothic 2, and Gothic 2:NotR. Did I mention we made Gothic? So yeah, please bail us out so we can make totally-not-Gothic again. Gothic."

Release that as a press statement and they can probably get fucking crowdfunded for their next project.

I agree. A kickstarter campaign from them would 100% be a success.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

I remember when Gothic was usually mentioned as a game for "hardcore gamers" back in the day. Good times.

 

[Skinwalker]

I hope they get to release ELEX 3 just to satisfy my autism and OCD.

 

[Kem0sabe]

And I think they could pull off a great small-scale Gothic like game.

What in their previous body of work would make you think that? How many shit games is it necessary for fans to see PB for the failure they are?

 

[toro]

And I think they could pull off a great small-scale Gothic like game.

What in their previous body of work would make you think that? How many shit games is it necessary for fans to see PB for the failure they are?

Dude. I'm dissapointed about them as well but let me hope.

Honestly, I would not give a fuck about them with Bjorn but maybe they deserve a chance for redemption without interference from Bjorn.

I'm biased. I need closure about this.

 

[SixDead]

Are there any original devs of Gothics still in the studio?

 

[Abu Antar]

Saying that only Gothic 1 and 2 are their good games is disingenious.

Risen 1 and ELEX 1 are still good games.

 

[Anthedon]

Some additional rumors from an interview with Andre Peschke in prestigious polish publication CD Action: https://www.cdaction.pl/publicystyk...s-co-sie-dzieje-u-tworcow-gothica-tylko-u-nas

The name "WIKI6" has vanished from a list of projects to receive government funding, but a new one called "Currywurst" has been added. Pankratz wanted to make ELEX 3, most other devs wanted a return to something more Gothic-like. Rumors have it PB is in talks with at least two potential publishers, even some kind of crowdfounding effort is being considered.

 

[Peachcurl]

Einma currywuast pommes rot-weiß, aba zack zack.

 

[Star Citizen]

Man Elex 2 was such a stark drop in everything from the first that I can't even be really upset, ofc I feel for the peeps losing their jobs n such but it's like they were repeating all their flaws n shit over again that they seemed to learn from when making ELEX 1.