Piranha Bytes GmbH was a German

video game developer A video game developer is a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large business with em ...

based in

Essen Essen () is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, as well as ...

. It was best known for their ''

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

'' and '' Risen'' series of

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

s. Piranha Bytes was founded in

Bochum Bochum (, ; ; ; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 372,348 (April 2023), it is the sixth-largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) in North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous German federa ...

in 1997 and bought by Phenomedia in 1999. When Phenomedia filed for

insolvency In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet i ...

in May 2002, the Piranha Bytes management

bought out ''Bought'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film produced and released by Warner Bros. and directed by Archie Mayo. The movie stars Constance Bennett and features Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett and Dorothy Peterson. It is based on the 1930 novel ' ...

the studio.

THQ Nordic THQ Nordic GmbH (formerly Nordic Games 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 r ...

, as part of

Embracer Group Embracer Group AB (formerly Nordic Games Licensing AB and THQ Nordic AB) is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises 8 operative groups: Amplifier Game Invest, CDE Entertainment, Coffee Stain Studi ...

, then acquired the company in May 2019. Piranha Bytes was reported to be in the process of closing since December 2023. It was closed sometime in June 2024 due to Embracer Group failing to find a new owner for the company, according to a former employee; the company declined to make a public statement on their closure.

History

Alex Brüggemann, , Stefan Nyul and founded Piranha Bytes in

in 1997, incorporating it as Piranha Bytes Software GmbH. In 1999, the company became a wholly owned

subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...

of the German publisher Phenomedia. Piranha Bytes' first game, ''

'', was released in 2001. Shortly thereafter, Brüggemann left the company to work on smaller game projects, eventually designing '' The Settlers: Rise of an Empire''. He died on 19 January 2013 after suffering from cancer for three years. Following a financial scandal at Phenomedia, the parent company filed for

in May 2002. Piranha Bytes' management performed a

management buyout A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...

, concluded in September that year, and transferred the studio's trademarks and

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

, including the rights to the ''Gothic'' series, to Pluto 13 GmbH, a new entity that assumed "Piranha Bytes" as its

trading name A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

. Only one of the four original founders remained with the new incorporation. In March 2004, Piranha Bytes was among the founders of . On 22 May 2019,

, as part of

, announced that it had acquired the studio to undisclosed terms. At the time, Piranha Bytes had 31 employees in its

offices. Through the acquisition, the company was reincorporated as Piranha Bytes GmbH. By April 2021, with 33 employees, Piranha Bytes was among the forty largest video game companies in Germany. In 2023, Embracer Group began implementing

cost reduction Cost reduction is the process used by organisations aiming to reduce their costs and increase their profits, or to accommodate reduced income. Depending on a company’s services or products, the strategies can vary. Every decision in the produ ...

measures to reduce accrued debt, including significant layoffs and studio closures. THQ Nordic reportedly began seeking a buyer for Piranha Bytes late that year. As this was unsuccessful, it began laying off all staff in December, a process ongoing as of 17 January 2024, and reduced the company to a

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

. The state of the studio's third ''ELEX'' game (codenamed ''WIKI6'') is unknown. The

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (, ; abbreviated BMWE, formerly BMWi) is a Cabinet of Germany, cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was previously known as the "Ministry of Economy". It was recreate ...

, which financed the development with , briefly removed ''WIKI6'' from its website before reinstating it as ''Currywurst'', stating that the financing claim had not been withdrawn, unlike that of the project cancelled at the downsized sister studio

Fishlabs Fishlabs GmbH (formerly Fishlabs Entertainment GmbH and Deep Silver Fishlabs) is a German video game developer based in Hamburg. Founded in 2004 by Michael Schade and Christian Lohr, the studio is best known for its ''Galaxy on Fire'' series. F ...

Closure

On 22 January 2024, the studio released a message on its official website, which expressed optimism about finding a partner for future projects and promised to keep the community updated.Piranha Bytes Announcement
/ref> In July 2024, it was confirmed that the studio had shut down in late June after failing to find such a partner. Some of the former employees founded the independent studio Pithead, which is being led by husband and wife Björn and Jenny Pankratz, who have been part of Piranha Bytes more or less since its inception. They have not yet announced what project this small team will work on. On 10 March 2025, four former Piranha Bytes employees announced the formation of Brainlag Games, a new independent studio. Their first game, ''Rootbound'', is scheduled to be released in 2026.

Games

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2019 mergers and acquisitions Companies based in Essen German companies established in 1997 German companies disestablished in 2024 THQ Nordic divisions and subsidiaries Video game companies established in 1997 Video game companies disestablished in 2024 Video game development companies Defunct video game companies of Germany