Gothic Could Return to Piranha Bytes

[Andy Chalk]

Gothic Could Return to Piranha Bytes

Word on the street is that Piranha Bytes may once again end up working on the Risen 2 [http://www.gothic.de/].

German developer Piranha Bytes is best known as the creator of the Gothic RPG series, in large part because it was the only thing the studio ever did prior to its 2007 split with publisher JoWood. Piranha Bytes went on to develop Arcania: Gothic 4 [http://www.amazon.com/Risen-Pc/dp/B002C0VNQQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1302541933&sr=8-2]. That was a bit more of a train wreck, amassing a Metacritic score of just 63.

Fans will probably be happy to hear, then, that Piranha Bytes could possibly get the franchise back - maybe. In an interview with Czech fan site Gothicz.net [http://www.gothicz.net/serie-gothic/mike-hoge-talks-about-gothic/], co-founder and project director Michael Hoge said the agreement that saw JoWood get the rights to the IP isn't actually permanent. "We get the rights to Gothic back when we have finished Risen 2," he said. "Why? Because we did only sell them to our ex-publisher for a certain amount of time "

But in a countervailing opinion posted on the WorldofPlayers.de forum [Google translated [http://translate.google.ca/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.worldofplayers.de%2Fforum%2Fshowpost.php%3Fp%3D15759475%26postcount%3D17]], Piranha Bytes Managing Director Michael Rüve wrote that Hoge "isn't a lawyer" and that his comments should be taken with a grain of salt. "For me there is no need to comment on our contractual position with JoWood. The fact that we are not currently working on Gothic [is] well known," he wrote. "JoWood currently has other worries. Speculation about the future [of] Risen 2 are just that - speculation."

Whatever happens, if anything, it won't be for awhile: Piranha Bytes currently has its hands full with Risen 2, which is slated to come out later this year, while a stand-alone expansion to Arcania: Gothic 4 called Fall of Setarrif is in the works at Spellbound.

via: GamersHell [http://www.gamershell.com/news_115006.html]


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[Exterminas]

Unless the new Gothic title comes for free with a bonus hooker that is an expert at making sundays, they can keep it.

After the royal screwjobs that all the franchise's games have been after Gothic II, they will have to take every cent from my cold, dead hands.

 

[Bobzer77]

Gothic 1 + 2 and Risen were AWESOME.

Gothic 3 was ok

Gothic 4 was the single worst gaming experience of the last 3 years. However they had nothing to do with it's development so I don't care.

Spoiler: I guess what I'm saying is

 

[DeadpanLunatic]

I have removed my words from this site.

 

[jamesworkshop]

well who knows, all i know is that gothic 2 was the best in the series

 

[Wolfram23]

Last time I was fishing for a new RPG it was for the christmas holidays. I ended up settling on Risen, and that game was AWESOME. I really enjoyed playing it. I thought about getting one of the Gothic games but I'm glad I didn't. They look good but all the reviews were crap.

Well, excited for Risen 2 and we'll see about the new Gothic.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I can only see this as a good thing: the Gothic games were always "flawed masterpieces" - for every note that Piranha Bytes got right, there would be the horrible inventory system and controls, or the equally horrible inventory system but this time for an entirely different reason (whee!), or what have you. As much as I liked them, I would always have to qualify my enjoyment, and I'd honestly come to expect no better from the studio - I wasn't particularly horrified when I learned that they weren't developing Gothic 4, reasoning that "Hey, maybe a different studio could do better" (evidently not though).

Risen though has definitely proved me wrong there - they managed to take all the elements of a Gothic game that one would expect from an entry in the series, and refine them to the point where the entire mixture is good; the first time they finally got everything that made Gothic "Gothic" right, they weren't even working on the franchise anymore.

So with Risen as evidence that yes, they can in fact make a 'good' Gothic 4 in all but name, if anyone is going to make a new Gothic game I would want it to be them.

 

[Astalano]

Doesn't really matter. Gothic as a brand doesn't hold a candle to the gameplay style of both the Risen and Gothic universe in terms of importance.

I don't really care whether it's in the Gothic or Risen universe, so long as I get to experience the awesome gameplay Piranha Bytes provide.

Plus, I quite like the Risen universe. I don't see any need to move away from it.

 

[Moc]

Gothic 2 was good, I liked it, but that was like 7-8 years ago, Gothic 3 was a bugfest, and about the fourth part, I stoped caring about it around the third part for obvious reasons.

 

[IamGamer41]

It would be great if they could get the series back on track.

 

[unacomn]

63 metacritic score isn't a train wreck. 27, now that's a train wreck. 63 is, meh.

 

[Mr. Grey]

I find this to be interesting.

...

As in to say that this intrigues me.

...

Spoiler: As in to say, I really haven't a clue.

I actually enjoyed Risen more than I have any Gothic game, which is incredibly bizarre given that I loved Gothic 2. Like... I wanted it to stay forever, that kind of love. But nVida would have nothing of it! No! They release a driver to kill my love and so she died, but I live on... no way in hell am I going down with the ship. Never!

Wait... where was I going with this? Oh right, Risen is more interesting in the sense I could gather materials and make my weapons. I loved that, I really did. I mean, I got to make weapons by following recipes. I was so giddy, so very, very happy. The story was enough to get me going, but I'll be honest, running around killing things and then finding they are dead was depressing. But also a relief given that means the wolves are gone for good... damn them and their ability to out maneuver me... damn them to the hell I sent them to.

I don't care if they do get Gothic back. Just keep up the good work with either franchise and I'm happy.

 

[vivster]

YES YES YES OMG YES PLEASE!

just started playing gothic 3 again yesterday only to see that it has the right to bear the "my favorite wrpg ever" badge...
sure it HAD bugs when it was released and the combat system can't even be called a combat system(melee anyway) but there is no single game that has such a vast and vibrant free and open world like it
and with free i mean 100% free
no invisible walls, no closed doors(inaccessible rooms), no people you can't kill(yes i'm looking at you oblivion)... only rivaled by let's say minecraft

tons of quests, massive battles, no restrictive faction system
it really is the definition of open world rpg

risen was like a "gothic light" for me as it was rather small and with a more or less uninteresting story

so please PB... bring me another vast and free open world rpg in my beloved gothic universe
me love you forever then

 

[Spudgun Man]

Nice, risen 2 and a good return to gothic. With skyrim penned for later this year too looks like RPG is going to be my winning genre this year.

 

[The_Healer]

It'd be nice to see a return to form for the Gothic Games.

Loved 1&2, 3 was so buggy that it was unplayable and I haven't tried 4 yet. Didn't get good vibes when the demo decided it wouldn't start on my PC.

Regardless, Piranha Bytes did a good job with the story and the concept, they just need to seriously work on debugging and getting the basic UI up to scratch.

 

[Fortesque]

I love Gothic. I got the first 3 when I was sick once and pretty much spent the next week doing nothing else.

Its one of those hidden jewels, not many people know about it but its so good. Granted 3 was pretty buggy (fuck those Wolf/Boar stun locks), and even on my PC I still cant have all the grass texture on High without it lagging so hard its impossible to play. But I still go back and play them over again, its always nice to do it differently. Side with a different faction, use a different class.

Didnt get around to playing 4, but I dont think I will. Ill just wait till Piranha Bytes get it back.

 

[CUnk]

Doesn't really matter. Gothic as a brand doesn't hold a candle to the gameplay style of both the Risen and Gothic universe in terms of importance.

I don't really care whether it's in the Gothic or Risen universe, so long as I get to experience the awesome gameplay Piranha Bytes provide.

Plus, I quite like the Risen universe. I don't see any need to move away from it.

What this guy said. The Gothic games were never about the story. They were about the maps and the relatively satisfying combat (once you got used to the quirks). So really PB has already made the next Gothic game: Risen. Whether they make Risen 3 or Gothic 5 doesn't matter.

Also, I went back and gave G3 another chance after finishing Risen (I was hungering for more) and I have to say it was better than G1 and G2. Maybe it was that the community patch finally turned it into the game it was supposed to be or else my current rig was better prepared for it but either way it was one of the most enjoyable RPGs I've ever played. Completely bug-free as far as I could tell.

On the other hand, I'm currently playing the G3 expansion (Forsaken Gods) and I have to say it is unredeemable.

 

[Monsterfurby]

Having worked with JoWood before they went under, I can only say that they will probably unleash a big "screw you" to everyone and find some way to bury all remotely valuable IPs forever.