THQ Nordic har blivit kända som en smärre dammsugare i spelbranschen, som skaffar spel, varumärken och utvecklare som om de samlade Pokémon. Nu låter de meddela ytterligare ett stort uppköp, denna gång av Piranha Bytes och alla deras tillgångar såsom Gothic, Risen och Elex. Prislappen är hemlig, men motsvarar "three years of what management's estimated royalty payments to Piranha for upcoming titles would have been, if the acquisition had not occurred".
Lars Wingefors, chef och grundare av THQ Nordic AB, säger:
"Piranha Bytes is one of the most iconic German game studios and the creators of RPG's Gothic, Risen and, more recently, Elex. The three strong IPs have proven successful and will be great additions to our portfolio. We look forward bringing Piranha team into the family which has received legendary status across the RPG community as their fanbase cherishes their current games and eagerly anticipates their new titles in the future."
Piranha Bytes kommer fortsätta agera som en självständig utvecklare, men givetvis med THQ Nordic som utgivare och distributör (samt trygghet). Chefen Michael Rüve och head of games Björn Pankratz kommer få behålla sina respektive roller, och förstnämnda säger:
"We have a successful and long-standing relationship with THQ Nordic and are very excited to join the group. THQ Nordic has unparalleled experience and capabilities in games development and publishing, and we are convinced they are the perfect partner to support Piranha in taking the studio to the next level. We see a unique opportunity to continue to develop great, memorable and impactful RPG games, now being part of the THQ Nordic family."
Vad tycker du själv om Piranha Bytes och deras spel?