Piranha Bytes

Piranha Bytes GmbH

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	1 January 1997 (1997-01-01) in Bochum, Germany
Founder	Alex Brüggemann, Michael Hoge, Stefan Nyul, Tom Putzki
Defunct	June 30, 2024 (2024-06-30)
Fate	Ceased operations after failing to find a partner; staff reductions
Successor	Pithead (independent studio formed by former staff), Brainlag Games (founded by former employees)
Headquarters	Essen , Germany
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Gothic series, Risen series, ELEX series
Owner	THQ Nordic (subsidiary of Embracer Group)
Number of employees	33 (2021)
Parent	THQ Nordic

Piranha Bytes GmbH was a German video game developer located in Essen, recognized primarily for its role-playing game franchises Gothic and Risen.

Established in Bochum in 1997 by founders Alex Brüggemann, Michael Hoge, Stefan Nyul, and Tom Putzki, the company was acquired by Phenomedia in 1999. Following Phenomedia’s bankruptcy in May 2002, Piranha Bytes' leadership executed a management buyout that transferred all trademarks and intellectual property to Pluto 13 GmbH, which operated under the Piranha Bytes brand. Only one of the original founders remained with this new entity. In March 2004, Piranha Bytes became a founding member of the German games industry association .

On 22 May 2019, THQ Nordic, a subsidiary of Embracer Group, purchased Piranha Bytes under undisclosed conditions. At the time of acquisition, the studio employed 31 people; by April 2021, its workforce had expanded to 33, placing it among Germany’s top forty largest video game developers.

In 2023, as part of Embracer Group’s initiative to reduce debt through layoffs and studio shutdowns, THQ Nordic began seeking a buyer for Piranha Bytes. When no suitable purchaser was found, staff reductions commenced in December 2023, leaving the company largely inactive by January 2024. The fate of the third ELEX installment (codenamed WIKI6) remains uncertain. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, which provided €3.2 million in funding for development, temporarily removed the project from its official listings before restoring it under the name Currywurst, confirming that financial support remained intact.

Closure

On 22 January 2024, the studio expressed hope about securing a partner for upcoming projects and committed to keeping its community informed. Nevertheless, by July 2024 it was confirmed that the studio had ceased operations at the end of June after failing to find such a partner.

Several former staff members went on to establish an independent studio called Pithead, led by Björn and Jenny Pankratz, who had been long-term contributors at Piranha Bytes. Their initial project has yet to be announced.

On 10 March 2025, four ex-employees from Piranha Bytes founded Brainlag Games. Their first title, Rootbound, is slated for release in 2026.

Games

Year	Title	Platform(s)
2001	Gothic	Nintendo Switch, Windows
2002	Gothic II	Nintendo Switch, Windows
2003	Gothic II: Night of the Raven	Nintendo Switch, Windows
2006	Gothic 3	Windows
2009	Risen	Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One
2012	Risen 2: Dark Waters	PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360
2014	Risen 3: Titan Lords	PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360
2017	ELEX	PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
2022	ELEX II	macOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S