THQ Nordic acquires Gothic and Risen developer

THQ Nordic has snared another studio, this time Gothic and Risen developer Piranha Bytes. The deal means the publisher acquires both the studio and rights to its series, most of which have either been published by THQ Nordic or one of last year's acquisitions, Deep Silver.

I've got a big soft spot for Piranha Bytes' RPGs. They've got bad jokes, questionable voice acting and typically a fair few bugs, but they are still an endearing bunch. The combat's usually pretty good, there's always a mountain of diverting quests and the Risen series lets you be a pirate, complete with Assassin's Creed-style nautical shenanigans.

Unfortunately, the shift from pirate fantasy to sci-fi left Jon Bolding unimpressed when he reviewed Elex.

"Elex’s flaws don’t really come from the bugs, but from how it falls short of its ambitions. Its world and visual design are top tier, and it’s a game with a wide scope and an eclectic vision—it's fun for the forgiving—but that ultimately leaves much of the game underdeveloped."

It sounds like Piranha Bytes won't be changing much after the acquisition and will continue developing RPGs with THQ Nordic publishing. Hopefully it means the studio will have a bit more support so it can spend extra time working out the kinks before release.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.