ELEX 3 potentially cancelled. PB Studio may be closing?

[Bdestiny]

https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/piranha-bytes-sorge-um-gothic-und-elex-entwickler,3406891.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/elex/comments/1982zdk/elex_3_potentially_cancelled_pb_studio_might_get/

Their recent output was incredibly mid, Elex 1 was underwhelming and 2 seems even weaker. Maybe for the best to end things

[spike86]

well, I'm rather positive, it would not be the first time they rise from the ashes with something new.

moreover LegendaryCarry's post in reddit explain that the German government funding has NOT been took away from PB, thus everything gonna be fine (and best regards from Ian (G1 quote))

[coldcrow]

Embracer has closed a studio which got ~5mill in gov funding. So the gov funding doesn't insulate PB from being laid off.

[Mad_Commander]

THQ are the EA of the cheaper games. I'm not surprised.

[Amigo]

I mean it shouldn't be that hard to contact them and ask for a simple yes or no. One of those journos could have eadily done that.

[commodore128]

It's a good game, but I think the graphic's, performance threw a lot of people off. I think they should keep investing in it, fix the code, make it run better on older GPU's.

[commodore128]

If they make ELEX3, they should do it in UNREAL 5. Graphic's seems to put people off. I was fine, with ELEX2, but other's were not.

[living_one]

Not surprised. And after Elex 2 not even sad.

[Amigo]

Apparently its true. PB is about to close. The article has been updated.

https://www-gamestar-de.translate.goog/artikel/piranha-bytes-gothic-elex-schliessung,3406996.html?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US&_x_tr_pto=wapp

[king_of_jamaica]

I wasn't actually expecting this game to be fixed even though they said more would updates be coming, but this pretty much cements that this game will never see another update.

[kris.aalst]

Originally posted by Bdestiny:

Their recent output was incredibly mid, Elex 1 was underwhelming and 2 seems even weaker. Maybe for the best to end things

Thanks for sharing. But we could have done without the above comments you post as fact instead of an opinion. Just saying...

[Moriendor]

For anyone who is fluent in German, I would highly recommend listening to the latest podcast here:

https://www.gamespodcast.de/2024/01/17/magazin-spezial-piranha-bytes-droht-die-schliessung/

Those guys are ex-Gamestar journalists and they have talked to multiple (anonymous) inside sources at PB and THQ Nordic etc.

Things that have been confirmed according to the podcast and other sources:

- Piranha Bytes received notice that Embracer want to sell the studio in November.
- Pankratz left the studio that same month, also because of creative differences and differences regarding the future direction of the studio. He is apparently out for good and would not return, even if future funding could be secured.
- The employees of PB did not receive their pink slips at first as Embracer/THQ Nordic were evaluating a sale of the entire studio plus the ELEX IP
- Embracer (not too surprisingly) had no immediate success in finding a buyer and so they sent out the pink slips in December. Germany is not a hire & fire country. The termination of the contract depends on how long someone has been with a company. The long time members of PB would probably get paid until about mid 2024. Newer members would lose their jobs much sooner and are likely looking for work as we speak.
- There is a faint glimmer of hope because a new project codenamed "Currywurst" (curry sausage in English... it's a sausage with curry flavored toppings and it is a very popular German meal) has appeared on the BMWK website of funded gaming projects.

So, yep, things are not looking too good. Even if PB were to survive somehow, it would not be the same studio anymore as key members have left the gig (actually the PB of the 2010s and 2020s was already no longer the same company that gave us the Gothics but that would be a looong story for another day ;) ).

[Revelator]

noooooooooooooooooooo microsoft please save PB

[Amigo]

I suppose it was bound to happen. The studio managed to survive after the epic failure of Gothic 3. ELEX 2 failure was the nail in the coffin. PankRATz left the ship in silence. No goodbye, no nothing.

[living_one]

There's nothing to save. Except for the name there's no one from the og crew left.
Not that after Risen 1 there were many of them left anyway.

[Golden Boy]

there is a new project called "Currywurst" back in the german ministry of economic affairs's list so there might be something cooking.