In another buyout that’s sure to unearth a new wave of speculation, THQ Nordic has announced that it has acquired the developer Piranha Bytes, best known for their Gothic RPG series.

Based in Essen, the German video game developer was founded back in 1997, and is well-known around the early RPG circles for Gothic and its subsequent, but less popular follow-up, Risen. Gothic has a colored history, and if you have not played any of the three games, you are missing out on a cultural phenomenon in certain parts of Europe.

The acquisition states that the both the rights to Risen and the more recent Elex were indeed part of the deal, but the statement from THQ Nordic placed a greater emphasis on the acquisition of Gothic itself. The value of the deal was not stated, however.

As per the acquisition deal, the entire Piranha Bytes team composed of 31 employees are now under the THQ Nordic banner, but operations will still be relegated to its original offices in Essen, Germany. Work on Piranha Bytes' unique RPG titles will also continue.

In a statement, Piranha Bytes' Björn Pankratz stated his optimism for the deal with THQ Nordic. "There are situations in life where you think to yourself, 'This feels right.' Well, this is exactly one of them," he said. "After all, we want to continue to create great, memorable, and impactful games with as much creative freedom as possible, and with THQ Nordic we know we are now part of a family, which support us by all means in our efforts."

This latest acquisition, which I can only assume was a work in progress for months now, opens up some speculation as to THQ Nordic’s slate of upcoming titles. The developer has stated its intent to reveal two new titles at E3 2019, both coming from extremely well-known franchises. It could be entirely possible now that a Gothic remake or sequel could be in the mix, especially since Piranha Bytes could be working on this project way before the acquisition even begun.

As for THQ Nordic, expect the publisher to snag more studios in the future as part of its $225 million campaign to acquire more IPs and developers under its banner.

Source.