Piranha Bytes

Not to be confused with Piranha Games.

Piranha Bytes GmbH
Formerly
  • Piranha Bytes Software GmbH (1997–2002)
  • Pluto 13 GmbH (2002–2019)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded1997; 27 years ago (1997) in Bochum, Germany
Founders
  • Alex Brüggemann
  • Michael Hoge
  • Stefan Nyul
  • Tom Putzki
DefunctJune 30, 2024 (June 30, 2024)
Headquarters
Essen
,
Germany
Key people
Michael Rüve (managing director)
Products
Number of employees
33 (2021)
Parent
Websitepiranha-bytes.com

Piranha Bytes GmbH was a German video game developer based in Essen. It was best known for their Gothic and Risen series of role-playing video games.

Piranha Bytes was founded in Bochum in 1997 and bought by Phenomedia in 1999. When Phenomedia filed for insolvency in May 2002, the Piranha Bytes management bought out the studio. THQ Nordic, as part of Embracer Group, then acquired the company in May 2019.

Piranha Bytes was reported to be in the process of closing since December 2023. It was closed sometime in June 2024 due to Embracer Group failing to find a new owner for the company, according to a former employee; the company declined to make a public statement on their closure.[1]

  1. ^ Ivan, Tom (8 July 2024). "Embracer's Gothic and Elex studio Piranha Bytes has reportedly closed down". VGC. Retrieved 8 July 2024.