THQ Nordic releases Gothic Remake prototype on Steam, asks for player feedback
THQ Nordic has surprise-released a playable prototype for a potential remake of Gothic, the 2001 action RPG developed by Piranha Bytes (Risen, Elex). The publisher is requesting player feedback for the prototype, which could help decide how to proceed with a full Gothic Remake. The Steam page is here.
The prototype is available to anyone who owns (or now purchases) any Piranha Bytes game. That is: Gothic, Gothic 2, Gothic 3, Risen, Risen 2, Risen 3 or Elex.
Interestingly, Piranha Bytes is not involved with the prototype, which was instead developed by a new team at THQ Nordic Barcelona. Piranha Bytes, which was acquired by THQ Nordic earlier this year and released Elex in 2017, is planning to announce their new project next year.
Find a teaser trailer, comparison video, description, FAQ, and screenshots below.
Gothic - Playable Teaser - Trailer
Gothic Playable Teaser vs. Gothic - Comparison Video
Barcelona, Spain / Vienna, Austria, December 13th, 2019: „Welcome to the colony!“ – how is it possible that 18 years have passed since we first heard that phrase at the beginning of Gothic, the game that set a milestone in the history of German fantasy RPGs, such as Risen and Elex? Since then, we all have grown older, acquired some wrinkles, and are laughing at how we look in pictures from the early 2000s – or how games looked back then.
But, what if we could turn back time, take everything that was great almost 20 years ago, and put it in a beautiful modern look (let’s say powered by Unreal Engine 4) along with improving some things that were not that great, like the combat system, for example?
To find out what the true Gothic fanbase thinks of a modern remake of the cult classic RPG, THQ Nordic and it's new Spanish development team, THQ Nordic Barcelona, will start an experiment. Today, a free playable prototype (Gothic Playable Teaser) of what a new Gothic could look and feel like will appear in the Steam Library of everyone who owns a game from Piranha Bytes, be it Gothic 1-3, Risen 1-3, or ELEX. They can play the yet-untitled Gothic Remake project and roam around the Mining Colony of Khorinis. After that, THQ Nordic is eager to learn from the players through a survey following the completion of the prototype, whether and how it should proceed with the production of a full Gothic Remake, or leave the heritage and the great memories associated with it untouched.
You want to learn more about the Gothic Playable Teaser? Check the official website: Official Gothic Website
F.A.Q.
We know you must have a thousand questions– we’ll try to cover a few in this FAQ:
Q: Who is developing this project?
A: THQ Nordic Barcelona. You can find out more about the studio at www.thqnordicbarcelona.com (Hint: We are looking to grow our team)
Q: Is Piranha Bytes involved in the project?
A: No! Piranha Bytes is working hard on a different project, which will be announced in 2020.
Q: Wait, why can we only play two hours?
A: Because it’s just a prototype, done by a new small team in Barcelona and we wanted to do an unusual approach and give this into the hands of players early. What you are going to play is all we have to show you at the moment.
Q: Ok, got it. But if we want the full game, how long do we have to wait?
A: Quite some time. We will only start full production if the community demands a Gothic Remake. In order to do so, we will need to grow the development team and rebuild Gothic from scratch.
Q: This can become a remastered HD version of Gothic?
A: We’d like to call it a remake. We are using a completely new tech (Unreal Engine 4) and so basically nothing but the story, the setting, the atmosphere, the music and the world of Gothic will remain. The whole tech, all graphics, the sound, different systems will be recreated according to modern high quality standards.
Q: Can I buy the prototype?
A: Yes and no. Everyone who owns ANY game from Piranha Bytes will get it for free - so if you don't have either Gothic, Gothic 2, Gothic 3, Risen, Risen 2, Risen 3 or ELEX you can buy one of them now and the prototype is also yours.
