In May 2019, the Austrian computer game publisher THQ Nordic bought the German development studio Piranha Bytes, which were the creators and owners of the Gothic series. This title and ownership passed to THQ Nordic.[2]
In December 2019, the Spanish branch of THQ Nordic, THQ Barcelona, released the game demoGothic Playable Teaser and at the same time started a public survey to get feedback from the fan community on the demo and on the idea of a remake.[3][4] The response to it was relatively high, with over 180,000 downloads of the demo[5] and over 30,000 responses,[6] which varied accordingly.[7][8] In February 2020, THQ Nordic announced the production of the remake. According to the publisher, over 90% of the players were in favor for a production of a remake.[5] Aside from certain graphics taken from the playable teaser, there was a "complete reboot" in game design, after the community feedback on the demo called for a remake that was more close to the original than the demo itself.[9][6]
Before the start of production, in March 2021, Alkimia Interactive was founded in Barcelona specifically for the development of a Gothic remake.[10] All creative people involved were advised to have played the original title before the start of production.[11] Piranha Bytes itself had stated to THQ Nordic that its own motivation in game development was not another Gothic game, but the development of other titles such as ELEX.[12] But as a result of the closure of Piranha Bytes in Winter 23/24, some employees of that team joined the studio Alkimia Interactive and thus the production of the remake.[13][14] By their own admission, the "heart" that Alkimia Interactive is focusing on in production is the AI. An algorithm in the game decides which animation sequences are called up or follow one another, so that the movements of the player character (the "nameless hero") and NPCs appear realistic. The algorithm/the AI uses 20–30-minute motion capture recordings as specifications, which have been divided into individual sequences and categorized, which is referred to as motion magic. According to the developers iteration has been given a lot of work-time during the production in this regard. "Controls and UI" are also "two big points" to make the game "more accessible [than the original]". According to Reinhard Pollice, the lead producer at Alkimia Interactive, the combat system in the remake is based on the original, in contrast to the playable teaser. The skill system will again be "very close to the original", too.[9][6] True to the 2001 game, the nameless hero also starts untrained, without any skills.[15] Lockpicking will feature a system similar to the original, but will be, according to Alkimia Interactive, presented differently.
Due to increased design options and higher level of detail since 2001, the game world, which is based on the original, will be 10–30% larger overall. If some places in the original game world were not fully designed, an attempt was made to "take up such potential".[9][6] Ideas that Piranha Bytes could not implement during the development of the original, due to a lack of budget and time, were taken up.[16] Because of this, some locations have higher magnification than others.[11] Through those few new locations the remake has got additional quests, which are based on the camp affiliation.[17] Puzzles have been revised to include "new interactions". "Plotholes" of the original would be "better explained" in the remake.[6][17] One narrative difference is that the remake offers more content and lore about the orcs and their culture, and that the player can decide how his general stance towards them is.[15] Other innovations compared to the original are the adjustability of the camera angle of the third-person perspective and the possibility to adjust the balance/difficulty.[18] Has it taken at least 23 hours and 38 hours at max. to beat the original,[19] the playtime of the remake can be about 10 hours (according to other statements up to 20 hours[20]) longer.[18] However, this applies to one playthrough. Due to the additional camp-specific quests of the three factions, the remake has a total of at least 30 hours of additional content.[20] Alkimia Interactive had in 2023 approximately 45[6][17] and in 2024 over 50 employees working on the production of the remake.[15]
The THQ studio Gate21, based in Sarajevo, was commissioned to design armor and NPCs. In contrast to the predecessor, the armor of the NPCs will not look exactly the same, but will differ in details, so that there will be variations from each armor model.[11] In the remake, the "hero" (player character) is able to tweak the value of his armor through modifications, which in turn has a small impact on the appearance of the armor. The weaponsmithing and food- and cooking system have been expanded for the remake.[21][22] In order to facilitate and speed up the work process, the faces of NPC were created with deep learning AI.[6] The development of those faces was a multi-year process, at the beginning of which the faces were designed manually. To avoid having repetitive faces (as was the case in the original) with around 600 NPCs in the game, the developers morphed face models together to create new faces.[22]
When asked whether there will be mod support for the remake, the development studio, which itself consists of members (e.g. Lead Producer Pollice) who had worked on mods for Gothic I and Gothic II, explained that they will "hand out some kind of scripting language", as the Unreal Engine is "not ideal for modding".[23][11]
Soundtrack, dialogues, voice over and localization
Kai Rosenkranz, who was already the composer of the eponymous original, is also responsible for the soundtrack of the remake. Rosenkranz reinterprets the original soundtrack and adds additional pieces of music.[11]
The Dialogues from the original are sometimes adapted and new written dialogues will be added to the remake, too.[24][6][9] As in the original, the choice of a dialogue-option can often determine the course and outcome of a conversation.[25] The game will be voiced in German and English, and due to its large fanbases in Poland and Russia, in Polish and Russian, too. Text based localizations for Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish are also planned. When dubbing the German edition, Alkimia Interactive included voice actors who were involved in the original,[6] if voices havent changed or aged too much.[15]
Marketing and retail versions
A first trailer was released in August 2022.[26] Artworks and screenshots of the remake get published on Steam at regular intervals since January 2023 at the latest.[27][28] A second trailer was published in August 2023.[29] A year later a third trailer, containing ingame scenes, was released.[30] In the same month, August 2024, a demo was presented at Gamescom, which differs from the finished remake in terms of gameplay and setting (e.g. no quick save mode, different player character).[24][31][32]
There will be a Standard Edition and a Collector's Edition as retail versions. While the standard edition only contains the game, the collectors edition, which is limited to 7,500 copies, includes the game on DVD, a wall decoration (a so-called sleeper mask with a wall mount), a notebook and a bracelet, each made of real leather, and the game's soundtrack on CD.[33][34]
Release
In February 2023, Alkimia Interactive claimed the development was "in the middle of production and therefore perfectly on schedule", but did not want to commit to a release date.[6] In March 2023, the studio cited the year 2024 as a "realistic release timeline."[17] In the same month, publisher THQ Nordic said it "did not want to name a final release period".[35] By August 2023, it was planned for release in the second half of 2024.[9] After Gamescom, it was reported in September 2024 that the release could also take place in the first quarter of 2025.[36] At the end of 2024, it was reported that the remake would most likely be released in 2025, but could also be released in the first quarter of 2026.[37]
Gothic is a 2001 action role-playing video game developed by Piranha Bytes for Microsoft Windows and the first game of the game series of the same name. It was released on 15 March 2001 in Germany, on 30 October 2001 in Europe, on 23 November 2001 in North America and on 28 March 2002 in Poland. A Nintendo Switch port, titled Gothic Classic, was released worldwide on September 28, 2023.
Piranha Bytes GmbH was a German video game developer based in Essen. It was best known for their Gothic and Risen series of role-playing video games.
Gothic II is a 2002 action role-playing video game developed by Piranha Bytes for Microsoft Windows, as a sequel to Gothic. It was released for Microsoft Windows on 29 November 2002 in Germany, on 13 June 2003 in Europe and on 28 October 2003 in North America. A Nintendo Switch port titled Gothic II Complete Classic was released worldwide on 29 November 2023.
Gothic 3 is a fantasy-themed open world action role-playing game for Microsoft Windows developed by Piranha Bytes. It is the sequel to Gothic II.
Arcania is an action role-playing video game, spin-off of the Gothic series, developed by Spellbound Entertainment. It was published by JoWooD Entertainment in 2010.
Risen is an action role-playing game developed by the German company Piranha Bytes and published by Deep Silver. The first title in the Risen series, it was released internationally for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in October 2009, with a North American release for Xbox 360 in February 2010. Ports for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch were released in January 2023.
Gothic is a fantasy action role-playing game franchise created by German developer Piranha Bytes and since May 2019 owned by THQ Nordic. The series is known for its immersive and reactive world, where the environment and NPCs respond dynamically to the player's actions, making exploration and interaction with the world a core aspect of the gameplay.
Risen is an action role-playing game franchise developed by the German company Piranha Bytes. It is published and distributed by the German company Deep Silver, a division of Koch Media.
THQ Nordic GmbH is an Austrian video game publisher based in Vienna. Formed in 2011, it is a publishing subsidiary of Embracer Group. Originally named Nordic Games, as was the parent company, both companies were renamed THQ Nordic in August 2016 after the parent company had acquired the "THQ" trademark in 2014.
Black Forest Games GmbH is a German video game developer based in Offenburg. The company was founded in July 2012 by a team of 40 staff members, including chief executive officer Andreas Speer, previously employed by Spellbound Entertainment, which filed for insolvency earlier that year. As of August 2017, it is a subsidiary of THQ Nordic. As of August 2024, the company employs 50 people.
SpellForce is a real-time strategy and role-playing series created by Phenomic and currently owned by THQ Nordic. The first release was published by JoWooD Productions and Encore Software in 2003 and THQ Nordic in 2017.
ELEX is a science fantasy-themed action role-playing video game developed by Piranha Bytes and published by THQ Nordic. It was released worldwide on 17 October 2017, for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. The game has been described as an "edgy, dark, uncompromising, and complex" post-apocalyptic sci-fi role-playing game where the protagonist joins the war for the powerful resource, "ELEX", which gives people magic-like powers. The game world is a mix of futuristic and medieval locations, in which the player can use guns, swords and magic against enemies.
Embracer Group AB is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises 9 operative groups: Amplifier Game Invest, Asmodee, CDE Entertainment, Coffee Stain, Dark Horse Media, Deca Games, Freemode, Plaion, and THQ Nordic.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated is a 2020 platform game developed by Purple Lamp Studios and published by THQ Nordic. Based on the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, it is a remake of the console versions of Heavy Iron Studios' SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom (2003). It is the first major game in the series since SpongeBob HeroPants (2015) and the first since the death of the show's creator Stephen Hillenburg in 2018. The game was released on June 23, 2020, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Stadia. A version for mobile devices was released on January 21, 2021.
Destroy All Humans! is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Black Forest Games and published by THQ Nordic. The game is a remake of the 2005 original game and the fifth installment in the Destroy All Humans! franchise. This remake is the first entry in the franchise since Path of the Furon (2008).
Alone in the Dark is a 2024 survival horror video game developed by Pieces Interactive and published by THQ Nordic. It is a reimagining of the original 1992 Alone in the Dark and is the seventh installment in the Alone in the Dark series. The game features a single-player narrative set in the 1930s, where players can choose to play as Edward Carnby or Emily Hartwood, as they make their way through Derceto Mansion to uncover the mysteries within.
ELEX 2 is a 2022 action role-playing video game developed by Piranha Bytes and published by THQ Nordic. It is the sequel to ELEX, and players control the same protagonist, Jax. They must unite the world against a new threat: invading aliens. It was Piranha Byte's last game prior to their closure.
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