Embracer has closed Alone in the Dark studio Pieces Interactive

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The closure comes less than a month after Embracer said sales of the Alone in the Dark reboot were "softer than expected."

Alone in the Dark protagonists
(Image credit: THQ Nordic)

Pieces Interactive, the developer of the Alone in the Dark reboot that launched earlier this year, has been shut down by parent company Embracer Group.

Word of the closure came via Pieces Interactive's Twitter feed, which posted an image containing the studio's logo and the message "Pieces Interactive: 2007-2024. Thanks for playing with us."

The studio's website now carries the same image, as well as a longer message detailing the studio's history since its founding in 2007. "In 2017, Pieces Interactive were acquired by Embracer Group after working with the expansion for Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Ragnarök and third expansion for Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Atlantis," the message says. "Our last release was the reimagining of Alone in the Dark."

Pieces Interactive's Alone in the Dark reboot was good stuff. We called it "an intelligent reimagining of the 1992 classic" in our 76% review that, despite bugs and some occasional over-reliance on combat, delivered "the best Alone in the Dark game since 1992."

Despite that, the game apparently didn't sell very well. In Embracer's 2023-24 full year financial report, the company said sales of Alone in the Dark were "softer than expected," and "performed below management expectations."

Embracer's THQ Nordic division confirmed with PC Gamer that Pieces Interactive has been closed, but declined to comment further. 

(Image credit: Pieces Interactive)

The closure comes just three days after Galvanic Games announced its own shutdown due to inadequate sales of its most recent release, Wizard with a Gun; June has also seen layoffs and studio closures at Behaviour Interactive, Sumo Group, and Avalanche.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.