Piranha Bytes is the German studio that developed the original 2001 Gothic. Gothic 1 Remake is a ground-up rebuild of that game, so much of what the remake preserves, from the three-camp structure to The Sleeper to the Nameless Hero, originated in Piranha Bytes' work.
Studio Closure
Piranha Bytes closed in 2024, before the remake shipped. The studio's closure means the 2001 Gothic design legacy now lives through individual ex-Piranha Bytes developers working at other studios rather than through the original company.
Piranha Bytes Did Not Make the Remake
Piranha Bytes declined to develop the remake when THQ Nordic acquired the Gothic intellectual property. THQ Nordic then set up Alkimia Interactive in Barcelona in March 2021 specifically to handle the remake project.
Continuity Through Former Staff
A portion of Piranha Bytes' original Gothic team joined Alkimia for the remake. Publicly confirmed hires include:
The original Gothic composer Kai Rosenkranz, who wrote the 2001 soundtrack and now is audio director for the remake.
A former Gothic dialogue writer.
A former Gothic programmer.
That gives the remake a direct thread back to the 2001 game in the specific craft disciplines most responsible for the original's feel: music, dialogue voice, and code architecture.
Studio Policy: Play the Original
Alkimia has a stated policy that every employee plays through the 2001 Gothic before joining remake production, so the team has a shared reference point for the tone and pacing the remake is trying to preserve. That policy is partly a response to the absence of a continuous Piranha Bytes team culture on the project.