Björn and Jennifer Pankratz on Their End at Piranha Bytes and Future Plans

Björn and Jennifer Pankratz talk about the end of Piranha Bytes on their YouTube channel (Pithead Studio TV). They explain that the industry is currently in a bad state worldwide, and that even large studios and publicly traded publishers have been struggling since mid-2023. "A lot of development studios have closed, an incredible number of people have been laid off. And we're going to be struggling with that for a while, and by 'we' I mean the whole industry," says Jennifer Pankratz, as the text "Farewell Piranha Bytes" appears in the video. Neither Embracer, nor THQ Nordic, nor they themselves have been spared from the crisis. She continues: "Exactly, in the end it also hit Piranha Bytes and yes. Nobody wanted it to happen, but it did, and that's why we're sitting here now." Björn Pankratz added meaningfully: "We didn't go voluntarily, did we?"

Björn and Jennifer Pankratz talk about the end of Piranha Bytes on their YouTube channel (Pithead Studio TV). They explain that the industry is currently in a bad state worldwide, and that even large studios and publicly traded publishers have been struggling since mid-2023. "A lot of development studios have closed, an incredible number of people have been laid off. And we're going to be struggling with that for a while, and by 'we' I mean the whole industry," says Jennifer Pankratz, as the text "Farewell Piranha Bytes" appears in the video. Neither Embracer, nor THQ Nordic, nor they themselves have been spared from the crisis. She continues: "Exactly, in the end it also hit Piranha Bytes and yes. Nobody wanted it to happen, but it did, and that's why we're sitting here now." Björn Pankratz added meaningfully: "We didn't go voluntarily, did we?"