The Rise and Fall of Piranha Bytes | The Developer of Gothic, Risen & Elex RPGs

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Gothic 2: af.gog.com/en/...
Gothic 3: af.gog.com/en/...
Gothic 3 Forsaken Gods: af.gog.com/en/...
Risen: af.gog.com/en/...
Risen 2: af.gog.com/en/...
Risen 3: af.gog.com/en/...
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Sources for a lot of info used in the video:
worldofelex.de
gothicarchive.org
arhn.eu
OST: Gothic, Risen, Elex OSTs
#rpgs #c4g #click4gameplay

[@click4gameplay]

Huge thanks to everyone who worked in Piranha Bytes for the past 20 years. These games were a huge part of my childhood and this channel probably wouldn't exist without them. Gog affiliate links for Piranha Bytes games: Gothic: af.gog.com/game/gothic?as=1735721926 Gothic 2: af.gog.com/en/game/gothic_2_gold_edition?as=1735721926 Gothic 3: af.gog.com/en/game/gothic_3?as=1735721926 Gothic 3 Forsaken Gods: af.gog.com/en/game/gothic_3_forsaken_gods?as=1735721926 Risen: af.gog.com/en/game/risen?as=1735721926 Risen 2: af.gog.com/en/game/risen_2_dark_waters_gold_edition?as=1735721926 Risen 3: af.gog.com/en/game/risen_3_titan_lords_complete_edition?as=1735721926 Elex: af.gog.com/game/elex?as=1735721926 Elex 2: af.gog.com/en/game/elex_ii?as=1735721926 👕Get yourself an awesome T-shirt or a hoodie, in my official merch store: www.bonfire.com/store/click4gameplay/ Become a KZbin member: kzbin.info/door/jekkqakBWqPu44aExSDxxAjoin Become a Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=2826612 C4G on Twitter: twitter.com/c_4_g C4G on Instagram: instagram.com/c_4_g_/

[@Sadzio]

Gothic 3: Forsaken Gods it's not a game from Piranha Bytes but from Trine Games.

[@truffatorenapoletano90tratbas]

The man at 00:20 IS the nameless hero!!!!!!

[@pedjanedeljkovic7021]

Mike Hoge's departure from the studio was basically the death of Piranha Bytes.

[@nerevar8823]

True. It wasn't Piranha Bytes after that

[@bwellington3001]

@@nerevar8823 Pankratz bytes

[@Unknown-zs8ex]

Where are these guys now are they still making any other games?

[@dmitrishostakovich3156]

@@Unknown-zs8ex Depends who you are asking about specifically, but many of them are still in video game business. Mike Hoge is a game design teacher working for School4Games, a German school for game designers, engineers, developers, and artists in Hamburg. He is working for Candy Valley Network, which is a German game studio based in Berlin developing "adult games", although they have only released like one game so far. Mike also did an interview at MeetUp65 in march of this year. I believe this is his most recent public appearance. Björn and Jennifer Pankratz started a new game studio after Piranhas fell apart. They obviously haven't released any games yet, but they said they will focus on indie games going forward. Their studio is called Pithead Studio. Kai Rosenkranz is working for THQ Nordic on the Gothic Remake. He is the only one who is very easy to reach as he sometimes visits the official Gothic Remake discord server and talks with the community directly there. He also answered many questions about the Remake and about the original series over the years of interacting the the fans on the server, check it out. As for the rest, I don't know much but I did a fair share of digging but I would assume after so many years many of them are still working in video games industry. Even information about the former CEO of Piranhas, Michael Rueve, is nowhere to be found.

[@Ionut2682]

I remember when i first played Gothic 1 and reached a village and saw people doing activities and then i could literally have my character use a bed and go to sleep. My mind was blown away. RIP PIRANHA BYTES!

[@diamondhamster4320]

Brother, that was nothing new. NPCs doing (fake) pretentious activities that give the player a feeling of real active life going on were in games before too. Not a single game till this day (besides STALKER) has NPCs actually doing activities that permanently change the world without player input.

[@adammaysz4324]

@@diamondhamster4320complete night/day cycle, animals sleeping, npcs reacting to players actions, i thought it was very impressive in 2001, even morrowind in 2002 didnt have this level of immersion

[@diamondhamster4320]

@@adammaysz4324 Smoke and mirrors which lead to nothing. It is all just for immersion "show" - nothing actually of value and game changing happens. Compared to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask where actual day and night life cycle of NPCS was crucial to the entire gameplay and premise of the game.

[@adammaysz4324]

@@diamondhamster4320 obviously its immersion only but it made playing the game feel so good and still is to this day, its a classic and nothing will change it

[@adammaysz4324]

@@diamondhamster4320 and literally what you say that the cycle was crucial to the gameplay in zelda, it wasnt in gothic, its like saying racing is better in forza motorsport than gta 5.

[@MatanKarni]

What a sad ending to this amazing studio. Their games are among my all time favorites. I still play them up to this day. Can't even begin to count the number of times I've played Gothic III which will forever by my favorite game. Thanks for this great closure video.

[@Jan-is3ql]

Gothic 3 is still lagging on my PC with 16gb RAM😅

[@NDakota79]

Why is Björn Pankratz always depicted as the brains behind Piranha Bytes and Gothic when he wasn't even a founding member and hasn't had a leading role in Gothic 1 & 2 which are the best games of that studio?

[@JspoonG]

He is the main reason of PB's falling

[@bibimir]

I think it was Hoge or whatever at first.

[@columbo47]

Elex stands toe to toe with them

[@cineris2389]

​@@JspoonG Odd take, their problems have always been the same, ambition and a lack of time/funding. As well as most importantly desperation (desperately seeking publishers multiple times). They were never in a "great" position anywhere in their career.

[@pepeedge5601]

​@@cineris2389 For making budget games, they would be fien if the combat was more...approachable. Even the shitty Arcania game has more functional combat.

[@Awoken0]

Gothic was the first RPG I ever played and I will always remember the series fondly. RIP.

[@net-twin-de]

Mine too and since then I was a huge PB fan and now ....

[@diamondhamster4320]

I guess, subjectivity and nostalgia bias then.

[@Jan-is3ql]

RIP? Not at all: the gothic Remake will be released next year and will take the original Gothic as a role model!

[@Awoken0]

@@Jan-is3ql RIP to the studio, not Gothic. I know about the remake.

[@Jan-is3ql]

@@Awoken0 in your comment you were talking about the Gothic series and then saying RIP, so I assumefld you meant that

[@MBulldog1979]

Your videos about Piranha Bytes games are my favourites man!

[@t-revstastetube8900]

I loved Elex and Elex 2 I hope we still get a 3rd and I can't wait to play Gothic

[@241sail6]

Piranha Bytes games were my introduction to RPG's. I loved playing them and still have my collection which I will never give up.

[@ouboet9245]

Gothic 3 was the game that made me a gamer. I grew up in a farming community, so no pc shops or internet, and I played the demo for Gothic 3 that I got on a disc from a gaming magazine. From that day ons my life changed.

[@inSaNe_44]

Gothic will live for ever! Legends never die! 💪 🍻

[@silviubodnar]

Throwback to about 20 years ago when I was somewhere between 7-10 years old. I remember when my parents bought my first PC and I somehow got my hands on the German demo version of Gothic 2. I had no ideea what was going on (little romanian kid with no english/computer knowledge at the time) but I played it so much that I was somehow able to understand what the NPCs were saying and actually solve some of the few quests that existed in the demo. Years later I managed to get my hands on the rest of the games and played the hell out of them. Thank you Piranha Bytes for basically kickstarting my love for RPGs.

[@Saigaiii]

Very sad. Hopefully another studio follows and innovates on the structure of piranha bytes games

[@Agent789_0]

Some of the devs have already founded a new indie studio, so I’m wishing good luck to them.

[@Beggin4Oldschool]

@@Agent789_0 Pithead Studio

[@aligmal5031]

the embracer group situation is so hard on me :/ this studio and the Deus Ex franchise gone like that also prey 2 getting cancelled it is too much to handle lol :c

[@zephyr8072]

Ah yes, who will take up the mantle of making the exact same game with the exact same generic protagonist over and over again? What a void they have left!

[@frequencyoftruth2303]

​@@Agent789_0I'm happy for them they deserve to make more of what they love as everyone does.

[@senditall152]

Gothic 1 and Gothic 2 was one of my all time favs.

[@HeyJoeHUN81-PCRPGCommunity]

And still they are

[@violentlyhappy9534]

I remember buying Gothic 3 on release with the little money I had as a college student. At that time I had a pretty crappy PC that met the "minimum" requirements. Little did I know about how poorly optimized it was. I can still remember the soulcrushing realization that I wont be able to play it, at least not for quite a while. No amount of tweaking would get me above 20 FPS outside busy areas. In towns it was a slide show. I think it took another 5 or 6 years, until I had an overkill PC for it, so I could play it. For those years I was stuck just listening to the amazing soundtrack. This music gives me a strong dose of nostalgia every time I hear it. RIP Piranha Bytes. You were a big part of my childhood.

[@gregoryross2167]

I'm going to be honest your videos definitely open my mind to the studios games and I never look back. my heart is so broken from learning about this. 😢

[@wenchinatrenchcoat8459]

The closing of the studio makes me really sad. It feels like a part of my childhood has died.

[@presidentsnow7315]

They had a talent for giving their games so much personality and creating living worlds that I wanted to explore. I will miss Piranah Bytes.

[@manuelrusa6078]

Bruhh it is soo sad, I love this studio and i spent countless hours in every game of them.... I hope they will make their comeback

[@renwargner3174]

I remember how my brain melted back in 2001 when a Hungarian PC-Game magazine included the full release of Gothic1. Until that, i've played mostly the Legacy of Kain series. I always loved RPGs, but Gothic1...back then....man. I've stayed up all night. Then, Arx Fatalis did the same to me. You are right - Gothic (and for me, Arx Fatalis too) made me a huge RPG nerd, and the person who loves to play Skyrim - this game seems to combine the two worlds to me; Gothic, when i'm in third person, and Arx, when i'm in first person. When i play in the wild, i'm in 'Gothic-mode'. In dungeons (especially in dwemer), i'm in 'ARX- mode'. Good memories. Thanks for this wonderful compilation, maybe i'll replay the series this year...hopefully. Cheers from Hungary! Good videos, as always! Oh and thanks for the Skyrim videos as well!!!!

[@tomasziskierka9557]

Gothic II night of the raven is one of my favorite game ever. One of few rpg games where town/farms looks realistic and npc feels like real people.This game will always have place in my heart.

[@archangeldamon9074]

man i miss the 2000s RPG so much. golden age of the genre

[@jayhouston7054]

My desire to play a couple Piranha Bytes game after I played Gothic 1 and 2 made me go out and buy a new PC. The nonsense I would put up to play their games like bugs, locking up, performance issues(terrible stuttering i just pushed through) heck one of the games maybe Risen 2 I had bought day one I had to turn off like 4 of my PC's cores in the bios to get it to run. I have never done that for anyone else. Ohh and to add when I heard Night of the Raven wasn't coming out in the US I even made a big mistake and went to a dubious site to get which gave my a virus..lol. I did actually come out here though thankfully so I got to play it.

[@bittripper3530]

Hopefully if the Gothic 1 remake does well more will follow

[@corgibuttz2550]

The first PB game I played was Risen. I loved it! I played Elex, and loved that one too. Then went back and played through a modded Gothic 3. I was glued to my Switch for a month playing through Gothic 1 when it launched. Great studio. Much love to them.

[@davidoneill8158]

Great video, and much respect for making it! It's sad to see PB go out after so long.

[@svartedauden3566]

Rip Piranhas! Thank you for the memories.

[@daillen]

My first and favorite game from Piranha Bytes is the first Risen, played it back in 2009-2010. I will miss their games despite their flaws, no other game has the same vibe. Hopefully the community will release more great games like Archolos for us to enjoy.

[@Fismajster101]

Thank you for making this video. Gothic and Risen will forever remain in my heart as games that shaped my childhood. I dont want to go into too many details, but the times I would spend in Khorinis, walking around, pretending to be a knight/paladin. Helping people always with any problems they had.. I have taken that to heart and I believe it helped shape me as a person. Its corny, but I love these games. I have many fond memories with my older brother especially thanks to Gothic. (Keeping my hopes up for gothic remake :P)

[@aligmal5031]

imagine if elex 3 get the chronicles of myrtana treatment ? because indie devs AA devs and Modders are getting bigger and bigger every year it is insane

[@danielphillips1973]

Pirahna Bytes and Spiders was always my go-to example that Double-A gaming could survive in this environment. Things didn't have to be AAA blockbusters, and thus turn into soulless tripe. It is heartbreaking to see that now only Spiders remains.

[@krwiopijca7159]

Gothic is Magnum Opus to me

[@viceiceman85]

Never really played any Piranha Bytes games until I saw your channel. But, you inspired me to do so!

[@gri22lybear]

One of my favorite game studios. I was so sad to see their studio close. 😣

[@TheWizdry]

Excellent and informative history on the Gothic games. Interesting, as I found your video; I’m currently playing Gothic 4 on the Xbox 360, and partly on the PC. This makes your information very interesting as I’m currently playing. Excellent video. I always wondered about Risen familiar, so much like the Gothic games.

[@Cri354]

Breaks my heart to hear this. I hope they get back together and make a new studio under a different publisher that actually gives them some love. For me, the 2nd Gothic opened up the gateway and flood on loving the entire RPG genre.

[@redcircuits110]

Thanks for this awesome video! Gothic is my favourite RPGs of all time! This studio was excellent, they were really creative and managed to create an outstanding world. Man, I love everything about this game! Even the bugs! The game oozes with atmosphere, memorable characters, superb music, the quests were unique with different ways to complete them. The exploration was so rewarding, and the progress of your character. I can write all day about it...anyway. GOD TIER GAME

[@Stamatimenos]

Small correction regarding Gothic 2 loading screens. They were at least 2, besides the DLC zone. One for the end dungeon, (halls of Irdorarth I think) and one for the valley of mines.

[@Stamatimenos]

Best studio ever, hopefully Pithead will carry the torch gracefully and faithfully

[@bobankrsmanovic9398]

Imagine if the went to Gothic 3 remaster, after Risen 3. They wouldn't need so much time developing, because the story was there, and so the main dialogues, they would just remodel characters and building, make a much better combat system (much more closer to Gothic 1 and 2), and they could add additional side quest. I think it would be a financial success, that could give them enough money and time for either proper Gothic 4, or new title like Elex.

[@zombieVegasUA]

Legendary and in my heart forever! Gothic 2 was the start of my RPG obsession

[@andrewscotti1136]

Gothic 1 has a controller support mod in the workshop that works great already.

[@JspoonG]

Best studio ever... fuck Pankratz, Michael Hoge is the love

[@Matux102]

Yeah man, I was just thinking about Hoge... Such an extremely talented guy, but it's so sad for me that he hasn't finished any projects in the last 15 years

[@sejtano]

it's really hard to find a game that can match gothic, that is including archolos, which is an amazing full game on its own, odyssee is also great if you can't get enough gothic 2, that world is huge and has many islands to explore, but it's mostly combat focused with tons of exploration, sacrificing the story aspect risen 1 was also great, the combat felt like demon's souls or a similar game

[@Sofus.]

They have a strategy focusing on the German market and keeping costs down. With a small team own engine and ownership of their premises. Unfortunately, this strategy could not compete with the competition.

[@paulie-g]

Keeping costs down + small team + *own engine* is not a workable strategy. You don't keep costs down by writing your own engine, especially if you have a small team and are targeting low sales volume. It was foolhardy when they started, it's beyond nonsensical in 2020+. The only reason anyone does this is if their primary interest is developing engine tech and everything else is an afterthought, which was certainly the case with PB. The only reason they even lasted this long is state subsidy. It's very sad, but entirely expected.

[@TheAlphaOmegaX3]

I haven't played any of their games. Elex has been on my wish list for a long time due to screen shots and fan reviews. Such an creative world! Just need to pull the trigger when its on sell. Im still not buying that they are completely gone yet. I hope to see the studio rise back up from the unknown to surprise everyone.

[@AsherBunnyman]

The world needs more Gothic with jet packs. Please for the love of fuck someone comepent pick up the license for the Elex series.

[@oleksiistri8429]

RIP Piranha Bytes, it was a great ride!

[@doloresgrace2448]

Piranha Bytes RIP October 13, 2006

[@robinmattheussen2395]

Nah man, some of their games since then have been terrible, but Risen 1 and ELEX were actually really great games. Of course they've never been able to top G1/2, but what other developer has?

[@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha]

You have got to be kidding me, Risen 1 came out in 2009 and was fantastic. Gothic 2 is my all time favorite PB game but next up would be Risen 1 and Gothic 1. I friggin LOVED Risen 1, one of PB's best games imo.

[@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha]

@@robinmattheussen2395 Risen 1 was amazing, while Gothic 2 would be my favorite, Risen 1 is right up there for my next favorite with Gothic 1. Risen 1 was flipping amazing.

[@luopeiyu-pp7vd8bu9w]

我最喜欢哥特式3，超级自由，可以完全按照自己的想法去玩一款游戏这太疯狂了。

[@Yuri77711]

I remember back in middle school how I fought with classmates over which RPG is true RPG, Gothic 2 or TES Oblivion. Then which guild is better Fire Mages or Mercenaries/Dragon hunters. Good times.

[@zerosystem8983]

I wasnt able to play Gothic 1&2, but i did 3, and i have fun with it. Great game, even without the Community Patch. So was Risen 1, did played with it til half of the story. BTW, keep up the good work, i really appreciate your videos always.

[@SoundEssenceZ]

Truly Sad. Gothic series were my childhood games are still one of the best rpg games ever made and the modding community is fantastic. I recommend anyone that haven't played gothic games to try them out on steam with mods.

[@vegn_brit5176]

I was very sad to hear about the demise of PB. My first PB games was Risen 1 which had a lot of charm and was very enjoyable. I never got to play any of the Gothic games, but did play Elex when it came out and enjoyed the game a lot. The last PB game I played was Risen 2 which again, I thought had a lot of charm and a decent enough story to finish the game.

[@michaelwilson8461]

With the lighting in the introductory video of the team , makes them look like an alt rock group lol.

[@vicchopin]

Still wanna see gothic 1, 2 & 3 in other platforms other than pc and switch 😢

[@brothergrok]

So long, PB, and thanks for all the memories. :*(

[@soundofnellody262]

I really enjoyed Elex and also Elex 2. Especially the mean combat. And usually I hate games that make me a one -hit-wonder (victim). But with Elex I found it hilarious 🤭 And I loved to explore the world.

[@stefeeNRG]

Gothic 1 & 2 are undisputed masterpieces. The third game would've been too if it wasn't rushed and released in the state that it was, but even despite that, it was pretty solid still. Fast forward into the future, Elex I was an amazing blast to the past, and a true spiritual successor to Gothic 1 (after Risen 1), I've played it 3 times back to back to experience all factions because even if it was repetitive it was still fun. Unfortunately Elex II failed ... I don't understand what were they thinking.. especially with the visual changes of characters. Even though Piranha Bytes is a thing of the past now, I am sure that the developers from the studio will continue being a part of many great RPGs yet to be made...

[@HuyGaming96]

Gothic 1 and 2 are forever masterpiece along with Vampire the masquerede Bloodlines. Also Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire are also great, very much improved from part 1

[@vonbleak101]

Its super sad - No one makes game like these guys do...

[@Vondora]

I don't think I can watch this. PB was my favorite developer, I've loved even their recent games. It's so sad to see them go. Fuck Embracer

[@DieEineMieze]

That's not the fault of Embracer. That's what happens when you repeatedly disappoint and rely on the glory of your old games, like Gothic.

[@notyourdaddude1957]

PB can only blame themselves for the downfall, they continued to disappoint with every new release, they kept going down the hill and did nothing about it.

[@sadscientisthououinkyouma1867]

That one isn't on Embracer, PB was always on the downward slope. Gothic might be a classic, but it also didn't sell well. PB has always been questionable financially, this time they just had no way out.

[@paulie-g]

This one is, unlike many others, not on Emracber (Embracer also aren't at fault, their funding fell through). PB produced games that were, in part, fantastic in one way or another, but they all had major problems. Yes, some of the problems came from lack of funding, time and the ambitious scope. However, many came from issues that they just never bothered to improve on. This resulted in games that only hardcore fans were willing to put up with, so they didn't sell, and even free money from the German gov't couldn't prop them up. Honestly, there was enough to love about their games that if they'd just hired a couple competent devs and sorted out controls/combat/etc that were perennial problems in their games to where they were at a minimum acceptable level for the average RPG player (and that's a low, low bar), they could've sold well enough to support themselves like, say, Spiders. But they didn't - they were always interested in developing engine tech first (despite it being clear that their small team couldn't keep up and wasn't competent enough to polish), sweeping systems second (why lots of people loved their games), and third.. nothing. Certainly not combat, content they threw in as an afterthought at the end of development.. I'm sad, but not at all surprised they're gone - you just can't do this when there are indies out there hitting top marks for all of those things.

[@AlexNovakim]

As much as I love pirahna bytes I gotta say jowood was right about gothic 3, the game needed a patch not an addon

[@mekal177]

piranha bytes games in my opinion are the perfect "sit down relax and play" type of games they are not super over the top with action or story telling they have just the right amount. the players choices again dont feel way over the top like youre some type of god its just the right amount. and in my opinion THE JANKINESS is great it presents a sort of charm that you learn to love all in all i am sad this studio closed and if i had the money i would personally financed them because they made video games i really enjoyed

[@DanielSanchez-fs1nv]

As long as they're not buggy and repetitive, I'm willing to try these games.

[@GamingYooler]

Tragic, I'd hoped they'd find a publisher but purse strings are tightening across the industry. Their legacy will hopefully continue to live on in the remake and in games inspired by them like Enderal.

[@net-twin-de]

#Info It's crazy why I'm only now finding out from this video that my absolute favorite studio is dead. I watch KZbin etc. almost every day and yet I only found out what happened almost a year later?! I'm shocked and really, really sad about it. I've seen some comments blaming Björn for everything and why he was given the leadership role at PB in the first place. Maybe these doubters should just remember that it was Björn's leadership that we have the best Gothic ever to thank for, namely the Gothic 2 add-on The Night of the Raven - that was under his leadership and he created a masterpiece. Even if not everyone likes ELEX, it is an outstanding achievement to develop such a mega game with just a team of 30 people and to design everything by hand; the entire game world is practically handmade without automatic world generators. So be ashamed of yourselves for making these statements, it has absolutely nothing to do with Björn, it had financial reasons in which PB was just a victim who went bankrupt and that`s it.

[@zeikers]

Super cringe comment

[@Duckyou45_]

i still dream of gothic 3 remake

[@vahnn0]

Risen was my first PB game, and it was awesome. I beat it twice, which is high praise because I almost never finish single player games. I tried Risen 2, but it just didn't click. I tried Elex a couple years ago, but the PB formula just felt extremely dated by then.

[@Vrhovac19]

Certainly from a business perspective, Piranha Bytes is seen as once creative studio, but not now. It must have cost them a lot that they didn't try to upgrade the very style of their rpgs. Also a lot of their games had a big problem with the ending itself. Risen 1 as one of my favorite games feels quite rushed in the last chapters. I believe that Risen 2 should have been between Gothic 2 and 3 in terms of map size, but to finally fix the problem with the very end of the game that has been present since Gothic 1. I'm not a fan of attacking someone personally but for this I mostly blame Björn Pankratz who took responsibility, Let's start with Gothic 2 NOTR, the man was really obsessed with the pirate theme, in this expansion it went well probably because of the mentorship of the people who worked on the base game. For Risen 2, I don't have to say anything, except that suddenly guns appeared and everything we knew about the world as such was completely changed. Okay, I understand that maybe it was necessary to move away from the Gothic practice for the sake of progress, but this way only discouraged the developers even more after the bad reviews and everything that goes with that. Risen didn't need have to 3 parts, two would be enough, the title itself shows the desire of the studio to resurrect. The only thing they should have done with this title was correct their mistakes. And that is to make a fantasy medieval game of the size in between Gothic 2 and 3 with a good ending that will be remembered. Unfortunately, I think there was too little to no communication between Michael Hoge and Björn Pankratz regarding what Risen as a series should be for Piranha Bytes. Let's not forget that Michael Hoge wanted to make the best game ever. I believe that this man did not make Risen just to make another game. I believe the plan was for the studio to distance itself from the medieval fantasy after finishing Risen, however Risen was never finished as was probably the original idea.

[@SpicySkeleton]

only played elex 1 and 2 and i loved them. sad we probs wont get a 3rd :(

[@filipstudeny]

Gothic series and Risen 1 were the best games they created

[@Alexandru1996_]

For me, Gothic was the first rpg game i played. I didnt pay it by myself at first becouse i was realy young, just my dad was playing and somethimes he was allowing me to play in his place, but around 2010 i got my first pc and oh dear...i had so much fun! Than i played Gothic 2 NotR after like 2 more years of G1, finishing both games multiple times. Too bad my computer was realy low end so i couldnt play Gothic 3....i was barely getting 10 fps at lowest possible settings which was realy bad. Forward a few years i did end up amost finishing Gothic 3 whish i didnt enjoy that much, than i tried all Risen games but didnt finish any of them (Risen 2 was running awfully on my laptop from the time, while Risen 3 was running way better although at lowest settings). Recently when i got to have more proper hardware i did play Elex 1 (maybe half of the game finished, it is still an option to play it maybe), but i never tried Elex 2. Maybe i should but idk, not yet. Maybe after i play Elex 1 at least ti finish the game. I have to say Elex is prety hardcore rpg, i like it but it feels like it is prety difficult and a little weird in gameplay. Might try to play it with a controller, maybe it will help? I was realy sad at the news of Piranha Bytes getting closed as it represented a big portion of my childhood, i have so many memories playing Gothic games...it was almost heartbreaking to be honest. And no, i am not looking forward to the Gothic 1 Remake as i feel it will dissapoint me. But who knows, maybe i will enjoy that.

[@ShadowCthulhu]

I would have liked to see an Elex 3 though the ending of 2 does have make it seem like the invaders are there to stay and will just become a part of the world.

[@goodperson2424]

G3 could be upgaded with mods and stuff, but I haven't seen anything significant like Archolos or G2: Returning.

[@rpgs6218]

Thanks to Gothic we have “There are no children” one of the best videogame creepypastas out thre

[@Ak0s]

Im sad bcoz of what happend with Phirana Bytes i really enjoyed/enjoy Gothic seires

[@TheXyxy2]

5:30 - Kinda shame this game didn't release, I mean look at this woman 😅 I guess she was the inspiration of Patty (especially in Risen 3). Now that I think of it, I don't recall seeing any women in Gothic games except that woman captive in Gothic 1 intro.

[@alexanderhugestrand]

To me, Piranha Bytes' strengths has always been interesting maps and pretty good stories. But their games have always felt broken in one way or another. If it's not technical issues, it's combat, or something else. The Gothic series is a classic, but other studios will probably be more capable of bringing the IP forward.

[@dadlord689]

This studio should have a legendary status and have a government payrol to sustain them. I wonder wtf government exists for

[@KrazyKain]

I saw this video pop up in my feed yesterday but it made me too sad to click on it :( the closure of PB definitely hit me the hardest of all the recent closures. I've felt furious about the lost jobs and livelihoods each time, but this one hit me personally as I am such a fan of the devs and games. And even though it isn't their best work quality-wise, Elex was my favorite of their games, and I was so eagerly awaiting Elex 3. I don't get hyped for games often but this was a series I was excitedly waiting to conclude. (I'm generally a fan of sci-fi, so "Risen/Gothic but Sci-Fi" is an instant win for me, and I'm willing to forgive a lot for that idea alone.)

[@spladam3845]

It's a sad story, thanks for telling it.

[@rekonzuken1]

i got my eyes watery watching this.. this is too sad. Growing up playing rpg games, the first Risen really teaches me a great lesson.. a good fun rpg does exist beyond those big big studios. I learn to appreciate games from smaller studios and trying demos instead of reading game reviews.I loved all their games afterwards, Risen 2 and 3 and Elex 1 and 2 as well😭

[@garchomowner]

Even with elex's 2 flaws i still like it and no one make games like piranga bytes. There are several successors like exoplanet: first contact and drova: forsaken kin, there is also vahrin's call, so i hope the spirit of piranha bytes game design will be kept alive. On the other hand, the writer for enderal has joined gothic 1 remake project so i am quite excited for it too.

[@Barbischon]

Need more games like gothic. Sick of firing fireballs from my ass from level 1 in any other RPG production. Really need more games with a palpable universe, nowadays fantasy genre is off the rails.

[@aleksandarstanisic1848]

Gothic is universal ❤

[@Francofone]

I haven't played many of them but my fav is probably Elex 1. I will eventually play Risen 1 & Elex 2.

[@snookiewozo]

Björn Pankratz is a fantastic alchemist. He can turn gold into shit.

[@Drejzer]

G2 was one of **the** games of my childhood... Admittedly i never actually played it legitimately, (i mean, i was a kid, and the cheats for g2 kinda bundled with the game for me XD) I definitely need to play those... One day... On the topic of the video... Damn, it's sad to see them go... But, I now have a new studio to watch with an inking of hope

[@unuldintrevoi3350]

My personal ranking for PB games. from least liked to most loved: 8. Elex 2 7. Risen 2 6. Risen 3 5. Gothic 4. Risen 3. Elex 2. Gothic 2 1. Gothic 3

[@user-dq8wu8de3j]

Hi. Pay attention to "Elder Legacy" game. I think you'll like it. It is a pity that it is now in early access.

[@dennisdavidov782]

I wonder if there is any chance that THQ Nordic might task another studio to develop Elex 3 in the future (but if Elex 2 sold extremely poorly it's probably unlikely).

[@nerevar8823]

I don't think so. If Gothic remake does well, they might want to focus on another gothic game instead

[@nerevar8823]

The truth is that the real Piranha Bytes ended with the release of Gothic 3, 2006.

[@Barbischon]

I'd say with Risen 1 :)

[@torham]

I will always remember the first time I headed down the canyon to the valley of mines. I played it soon after it was first released and it had already it had great word of mouth online. It's sad that Elex 3 is unlikely, even though I was disappointed with Elex 2's story, quests, and terrible camera view.

[@mcsmash4905]

for such a linear game i find myself coming back suprisingly often to replay gothic1 , its kinda lika mafia 2 in that regard

[@robinmattheussen2395]

Yes, the company's demise is very tragic. Not every game they produced was a banger (in fact, Risen 2 and Risen 3 were pretty awful), but Gothic 1/2 and two of the best games ever made, and I really liked Risen 1 and ELEX was such a return to form for me (warts and all). Hell, I even like Gothic 3 for what it is. I've said this a billion times before, but the damage done to the European games industry by Embracer is truly horrible.

[@garrick3727]

I've only ever played Gothic 2, which was amazing. I get the sense that starting from the failure that was Gothic 3, Piranha Bytes was always skirting bankruptcy. That's the only way I can explain why they keep pushing out games of varied quality. If you don't have a lot of excess cash then you cannot afford to radically overhaul your game engine or development process. New series like Risen and Elex don't seem to have been as successful as they would have liked. Of course, they may have done fine if not for the disaster that was Embracer.

[@KatalistProductionsKozzySasha]

I have enjoyed all of there games. Gothic 2 being my favorite and Risen 1 being my second favorite and Gothic 1 being my 3rd favorite. I still had fun with there newer games to though like Elex 1 and 2, while not as great as Gothic 2, Risen 1 and Gothic 1, they where still good fun. RIP PB!

[@ELSuperJake]

Sad, I for one actually really enjoyed their Risen and Elex games. I wish they kept plugging along

[@EricZobelMusic]

Thanks for the Video :)

[@dragonhold4]

Embracer Group should have been broken up while they were predator acquiring studios with no plan.