As studio art director Daniel Candil put it in the video, “Gothic Remake was this fine line between being realistic and believable and also at the same time having this dark fantasy themed inside, no?” He went on to talk about wanting to ensure that the game felt believable and realistic when it came to its colours and how its textures look.

“Those opposite forces,” said Candil. “One is leaning more into naturalistic, believable, realistic world. The other one is leaning designs of creatures and everything to a more fantastical and dark, grim world. It’s a real world. It tries to be a real medieval simulation, I would say, but with a twist of dark magic and dark, you know, weird stuff happening.”

Head of studio and game director, Reinhard Pollice, spoke about how Alkimia looked at the classic Gothic game to get a good handle on how the remake should look. “We looked at it from the perspective of the full spectrum of Gothic games done by Piranha Bytes, because these are the canon Gothic games, and these are the ones we need to look at,” he said. “And I also feel like these are the ones that the fanbase like the most.”

The trailer also features other members of the development team, including junior 3D artist Ana Gonzalez, who talk about how they had to reinterpret the original RPGs in order to accurately recreate them for the upcoming remake by making use of more modern tools that allow for a higher level of fidelity. A through-line throughout the Making Of video is the fact that, not only does the game need to look realistic while still maintaining its undercurrent of dark, occult elements, it also needs to be believable.

Along with various members of the development talking about figuring out the right blend of inspirations from the original titles while trying to remake it for a modern audience, we also get to see plenty of footage from the game itself. As the video progresses, we get wide, panning shots of a host of different environments from the upcoming Gothic remake, from swamps to castles, and even some dungeons thrown in for good measure.

This is the third part of the Making Of series that Alkimia has been releasing for its Gothic remake, with the second part having come out back in April. The video at the time focused on the differences between the original and the upcoming remake. The first Making Of video, released all the way back in February, revolved around the “essence” of Gothic.

The Gothic remake is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. While the title doesn’t yet have a release date, check out some gameplay footage in the meantime.

The short minute-long trailer for the Making Of video gives us a look at the world of the original Gothic, and how the remake is going to reimagine it by making use of modern graphics technology. The trailer also features voice lines from various developers of the game talking about their vision for the remake, and how Alkimia didn’t want it to just be a nicer looking remaster.

Judging by some of the quotes and the gorgeous visuals showcased in the trailer, it looks like the next Making Of video will likely focus more on the graphical aspects of the upcoming remake. The studio will likely talk about some of the graphical technologies that were used in the making of the Gothic remake, as well as how its many beautiful vistas were reimagined with modern sensibilities in mind.

The Making Of series of videos has seen two releases so far, with the first one revolving around the “essence” of Gothic, while the second one focusing on the differences between the original game and the upcoming remake. In the more recent video, director Reinhard Pollice spoke about how the studio decided to expand on some aspects of the original.

“Our job was to find out what elements should stay exactly as they are and what elements should be expanded,” he said, going on to mention that the studio doesn’t want to bring in large, sweeping changes to the title. Rather, it is more interested in patching up plot holes or inconsistencies in its writing. “We’re not just configuring NPCs’ homes or schedules,” said lead game designer Javier Untoria about making the world feel alive. “We are creating a living world with a lot of character.”

In the first Making Of video, several developers from Alkimia Entertainment spoke about what the original Gothic meant to them and their memories of playing it, and how the studio plans on visualising the world for release on modern platforms to a much different audience.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

The Gothic remake currently doesn’t yet have a release date. However, the studio, along with publisher THQ Nordic have confirmed that the game is being developed for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. For those of you who might be curious about how the seminal RPG is being remade for modern platforms and audiences, there’s a demo available that gives you access to the Nyras Prologue on Steam.

While the remake of Gothic aims to be fairly faithful to the original when it comes to offering depth of gameplay as well as narrative, it will also feature some refinements to its gameplay and narrative that the studio hopes will elevate the classic RPG. This is along with a visual overhaul that makes use of more modern graphics technology and hardware.

“Our job was to find out what elements should stay exactly as they are and what elements should be expanded,” said studio director Reinhard Pollice. In the video, he explains that the narrative refinements being made to Gothic in the remake will mostly work to patch up inconsistencies, plot holes, and contradictions.

The studio is also focused on making sure that the Gothic remake features a believable, breathing open world that the original is known for. This goes beyond just setting up NPC schedules, according to lead game designer Javier Untoria. Rather, the studio wants to make a more in-depth living world.

“We’re not just configuring NPCs’ homes or schedules,” said Untoria. “We are creating a living world with a lot of character.”

The first Making Of video, released back in February, focused on the developers talking about the “essence” of Gothic. Throughout the video, developers spoke about wanting to tap into the key aspects of the original Gothic that have gone on to be beloved by its fans. This includes the lack of any sort of hand-holding, leaving players to figure things out on their own.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

The Gothic remake doesn’t yet have a release date. It will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. In the mean time, PC players can check out the Nyras Prologue demo that was released back in February as part of Steam Next Fest. While originally intended to be a limited-time demo, it is still available for free.

In the mean time, the original Gothic series is also available at discounted prices through the official THQ Nordic store. The discounts also apply to merchandise related to Gothic, including collector’s editions, mugs, glasses, and T-shirts.

For more details about the remake, check out 22 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay that was released back in February. The video showcased early parts of Gothic, and even highlighted one of the key aspects of the game: its brutal combat. We also got to see what early-game sections like the mines and adjoining countryside look like.

The video features studio art director Daniel Candil, music composer and sound designer Kai Rosenkranz, senior game designer Hector Fuster, community manager Timur Khodyrev, level designer Alberto Relucio, studio boss and game director Reinhard Pollice, senior animator Talia Hay, and senior 3D artist Elena Candil, among others, talking about the development of the Gothic remake.

Members of the development team talk about various aspects of developing Gothic and tapping into what made the original release so special. This includes aspects like the game’s complete lack of hand-holding, allowing players to get lost within its rich world, and its harsh combat and social dynamics.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

In the description for the video, THQ Nordic has also mentioned that players looking forward to the Gothic remake should keep an eye out for the next Steam Next Fest, which will take place between February 24 and March 3.

Gothic doesn’t yet have a release date; it is currently in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. For more details, check out the gameplay trailer released back in August 2024.

As per Polish outlet CD Action, anonymous sources have revealed that Piranha Bytes shut its doors at the end of June. The studio was allegedly looking for external investments in the lead-up to its closure in the hopes of being bought out, but after being unable to secure the necessary investment, it was forced to shut down.

The report claims the developer had intended to work on a new dark fantasy RPG similar to Gothic, and it would have been built on Unreal Engine 5. Piranha Bytes or Embracer Group are yet to make any official statements regarding the studio’s closure, and according to the report, that is unlikely to change.

Founded in 1997 and acquired by THQ Nordic in 2019, Piranha Bytes has released several fan-favourite RPGs over the years, including the likes of Gothic, Risen, and Elex, as well as their respective sequels. A remake of the original Gothic developed by Alkimia Interactive is set to release sometime later this year.

Where the latter is concerned, previously-announced titles that have been confirmed for the showcase so far are survival horror reboot Alone in the Dark, open world science-fantasy action-adventure title Outcast 2: A New Beginning, and the recently-announced co-op puzzle platformer Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy.

THQ Nordic has a number of other announced titles in the pipeline, including the likes of AEW: Fight Forever, a remake of Gothic, Wreckreation, Jagged Alliance 3, and more. Whether or not any of these games will be highlighted at the Digital Showcase in August remains to be seen.

We’ll keep an eye out for new details, so stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks.

Another year, another line-up!

Be sure to save the date for our #THQNordic Digital Showcase live on August 11th, 2023

This year's showcase will not only include world premiere announcements but also updates and reveals for previously-announced games! pic.twitter.com/hDc04oWUjs

— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) April 20, 2023

RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2

Let’s kick things off with what’s probably the most prominent example of a great game with bad controls in recent years. Red Dead Redemption 2 is a jaw-droppingly impressive masterpiece in more ways than one, but its controls have, of course, been criticized widely, frequently, and persistently. As anyone who’s played the game will tell you, it’s not hard to see why Rockstar’s open world epic gets that criticism. On top of input latency and heavy in-game movement coming together for many to criticize the game’s controls as being cumbersome, the actual layout of Red Dead Redemption 2’s setup on a gamepad has also often come under fire at times, especially with unintentional inputs thanks to its weapon wheels, context-sensitive dialogue system, and what have you.

It began with a demo to test interest and ultimately lead to THQ Nordic announcing that they would officially be greenlighting a remake of the first Gothic game for PC and next generation consoles. It seems things are well underway, too, as a new studio has been formed to tackle the remake. Now we’ve got some first looks at it thanks to Steam.

The game’s official Steam page has now gone live, which you can see through here. With it has come the first official screenshots. They aren’t much, as you can see below, mostly showing scenery with a lone shot of some figures gathered around a fire. The original game saw you play as a nameless hero caught up in a battle between humans and orcs who just escaped being imprisoned in mines into various adventures. It was a successful game that spawned two sequels. It’s unclear what the scope of this remake will be, but most THQ Nordic remakes have been faithful to the original titles.

Gothic Remake is said to be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. As of now, there is no time frame in place for release.

Those who were into the PC gaming scene will no doubt remember the Gothic series. A pair of dark fantasy titles, in a similar vein to The Witcher, were some of the defining games of the early 2000s in that arena. It was announced that a remake would be coming from THQ Nordic, who purchased the original developer as well as the IP itself. Now we have more details on who is doing it.

THQ Nordic released a playable teaser as something of a test to gauge interest. When it was deemed a success and the sequel was greenlit, it was announced a new studio was being formed to tackle the project. We know now that studio is called Alkimia Interactive thanks to a press release sent out by the publisher. The game is apparently well into development with plans to unveil it within the next few months.

Gothic is announced to release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. While it’s said the unveiling will be soon, it’s unclear at this time when the game’s release time frame is aiming for.

At the end of last year we got a playable teaser of a potential remake of western RPG Gothic. It was a test to see if there was interest for a potential full game, and it seems that everyone passed that test as it’s now official: the remake is on.

THQ Nordic, who purchased the developer behind the original games, Piranha Bytes, as well as the IP, announced the remake would be getting the greenlight. Piranha Bytes will not be developing this title, however, as a new studio will be established in Barcelona, Spain specifically for it.

There’s no time frame on when this will come out, but it’ll be a good while. It definitely won’t come out in 2020 being announced for next generation consoles and PC, so don’t expect this one for a few years at the very least. The original game was a medieval fantasy RPG and came out in 2001 focused on hunting and the interactivity of the environment and saw multiple sequels. It’ll be interesting to see what this remake ends up looking like.