While the remake of Gothic aims to be fairly faithful to the original when it comes to offering depth of gameplay as well as narrative, it will also feature some refinements to its gameplay and narrative that the studio hopes will elevate the classic RPG. This is along with a visual overhaul that makes use of more modern graphics technology and hardware.

“Our job was to find out what elements should stay exactly as they are and what elements should be expanded,” said studio director Reinhard Pollice. In the video, he explains that the narrative refinements being made to Gothic in the remake will mostly work to patch up inconsistencies, plot holes, and contradictions.

The studio is also focused on making sure that the Gothic remake features a believable, breathing open world that the original is known for. This goes beyond just setting up NPC schedules, according to lead game designer Javier Untoria. Rather, the studio wants to make a more in-depth living world.

“We’re not just configuring NPCs’ homes or schedules,” said Untoria. “We are creating a living world with a lot of character.”

The first Making Of video, released back in February, focused on the developers talking about the “essence” of Gothic. Throughout the video, developers spoke about wanting to tap into the key aspects of the original Gothic that have gone on to be beloved by its fans. This includes the lack of any sort of hand-holding, leaving players to figure things out on their own.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

The Gothic remake doesn’t yet have a release date. It will be coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. In the mean time, PC players can check out the Nyras Prologue demo that was released back in February as part of Steam Next Fest. While originally intended to be a limited-time demo, it is still available for free.

In the mean time, the original Gothic series is also available at discounted prices through the official THQ Nordic store. The discounts also apply to merchandise related to Gothic, including collector’s editions, mugs, glasses, and T-shirts.

For more details about the remake, check out 22 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay that was released back in February. The video showcased early parts of Gothic, and even highlighted one of the key aspects of the game: its brutal combat. We also got to see what early-game sections like the mines and adjoining countryside look like.

Instead of the Nameless Hero, players control Nyras, a new prisoner in the Colony who must fight to survive. Since this is a self-contained experience, the full progression and sense of freedom from the game aren’t available. Instead, players will explore a “small section” of the world and a “limited” set of mechanics.

Nevertheless, you can still experience the gorgeous remade visuals (courtesy of Unreal Engine 5) and the overall attention to detail. There’s also an Achievement to unlock required to collect all the PC version’s Achievements.

Nyras Prologue is available until March 3rd as part of the Steam Next Fest. Gothic Remake is available later this year for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

The description for the gameplay video also reveals that it was recorded at the highest cinematic settings possible at 4K, while running on a PC with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU.

Things start off quite slow with a long conversation between the protagonist and Diego, before the player then has to delve deeper into the mines and take on early-game enemies like mole rats. Much like the original, Gothic Remake also rewards exploration with new items and equipment.

On leaving the mine, the nameless protagonist finds himself exploring a broken-down path along the side of a hill before running into a hunter named Drax. The conversation with the hunter ends with him making a deal with the protagonist to help him with a hunt in return for a place to camp.

The gameplay video highlights one of the key aspects of Gothic: the brutal combat. Death will come easy to players that set out unprepared in the RPG, and despite early-game enemies seemingly being weak, a single mistake can be fatal.

Another key aspect of Gothic in the form of the emphasis on sociopolitical happenings in its world is also showcased in the video. As they travel, players will have to figure out just who they can trust, and what characters they should be weary of. They will also have to convince various expert combatants to train them in order to appropriately level up.

Earlier this month, the developers behind Gothic Remake at Alkimia Entertainment spoke about what makes the seminal RPG special to them. Various members of the development team, including art director Daniel Candil, music composer and sound designer Kai Rosenkranz, and senior game designer Hector Fuster, spoke about their favourite things from the original Gothic.

Alkimia Entertainment was announced as the developer for the Gothic Remake back in March 2021. The studio is a relatively new one, with no other titles under its belt as of yet.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

A gameplay trailer was released back in August 2024 giving us our first proper look at the primary setting of Gothic Remake – the Valley of Mines. The trailer also showcased some new story content that will be completely original to the remake, along with its more detailed take on NPCs and new gameplay enhancements.

Gothic Remake was originally announced all the way back in 2020, and is currently in development for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Publisher THQ Nordic has also stated that players should be on the lookout for the demo during the Steam Next Fest between February 24 and March 3.

The video features studio art director Daniel Candil, music composer and sound designer Kai Rosenkranz, senior game designer Hector Fuster, community manager Timur Khodyrev, level designer Alberto Relucio, studio boss and game director Reinhard Pollice, senior animator Talia Hay, and senior 3D artist Elena Candil, among others, talking about the development of the Gothic remake.

Members of the development team talk about various aspects of developing Gothic and tapping into what made the original release so special. This includes aspects like the game’s complete lack of hand-holding, allowing players to get lost within its rich world, and its harsh combat and social dynamics.

“What was amazing to me the first time that I played Gothic was how you could solve a lot of situations by taking advantage of everyone,” said technical artist Roger Llovera. “Everyone would take advantage of you, of course, but then you have chances where you can take advantage of a character killing a Scavenger for you.”

In the description for the video, THQ Nordic has also mentioned that players looking forward to the Gothic remake should keep an eye out for the next Steam Next Fest, which will take place between February 24 and March 3.

Gothic doesn’t yet have a release date; it is currently in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. For more details, check out the gameplay trailer released back in August 2024.

Set in the Valley of Mines, a place that no one can escape from, Gothic’s open world is occupied by three different main factions with different motivations, details on which are offered in the new trailer. THQ Nordic and developer Alkimia Interactive have also revealed new details on the open world setting and how, similar to the original, it will attempt to thoroughly immerse players in a living, breathing world. As you might imagine, that will also lead to plenty of emphasis on player choice, with the trailer promising a reactive world that will always take players’ actions and decisions into account.

Beyond that, in addition to touching on the game’s combat and exploration mechanics, the trailer also hints at new story content in the remake that wasn’t present in the original Gothic, as well as gameplay enhancements such as more diverse NPC routines and reactions, improved progression mechanics, more complex crafting systems, and more. 

Check out the trailer below for more details. 

Gothic is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It doesn’t yet have an official release date or window.

Gothic Remake and Titan Quest 2 are confirmed to receive updates (potentially release dates), but there will also be some new announcements. The publisher’s other upcoming titles include Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, a remake from Purple Lamp launching this year, Slipgate Ironworks’ real-time strategy Tempest Rising, and open-world stunt racer Wreckreation from Three Fields Entertainment.

There’s also Project Minerva, a top-down open-world action RPG from Grimlore Games of SpellForce 3 fame, which has yet to receive any gameplay. Whether all of these titles will receive new details remains to be seen, but there could be some unannounced projects as well. Stay tuned for more in the coming months.

The same procedure as last year? Our annual THQ Nordic Digital Showcase returns on August 2, 2024!

Join us for new announcements, exciting updates on Gothic 1 Remake, Titan Quest II and much more.#THQNordic2024 pic.twitter.com/uW5M4lOGNN

— THQ Nordic (@THQNordic) May 2, 2024

Unfortunately the trailer doesn’t really show any gameplay. Rather it takes us through a few environments, showing us different interactions between NPCs along the way.

The trailer ultimately ends with a giant spider attacking a miner, dragging him away before a horde of spiders attack another miner.

The Gothic remake is being developed by a newly formed studio, dubbed Alkimia Interactive. Publisher THQ Nordic had decided that a remake of the classic Gothic would be a worthwhile endeavour after releasing a playable teaser to gauge interest.

Gothic got a few screenshots last year, showing off the game’s dark, dreary environments.

Gothic is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. There is currently no announced release date for the game.

Max Payne 1 and 2 Remakes

Announced very recently as a collaborative effort between original developer Remedy Entertainment and publisher Rockstar Games, the Finnish developer is working on full-fledged remakes of the first two Max Payne games using its in-house Northlight Engine. Given the massive popularity of this IP, it seems fair to say that expectations and anticipation for the two games are very high. The two remakes are still in the early stages of development, and fans will have to wait a bit before they get a chance to play them in all of their high-fidelity glory.

It began with a demo to test interest and ultimately lead to THQ Nordic announcing that they would officially be greenlighting a remake of the first Gothic game for PC and next generation consoles. It seems things are well underway, too, as a new studio has been formed to tackle the remake. Now we’ve got some first looks at it thanks to Steam.

The game’s official Steam page has now gone live, which you can see through here. With it has come the first official screenshots. They aren’t much, as you can see below, mostly showing scenery with a lone shot of some figures gathered around a fire. The original game saw you play as a nameless hero caught up in a battle between humans and orcs who just escaped being imprisoned in mines into various adventures. It was a successful game that spawned two sequels. It’s unclear what the scope of this remake will be, but most THQ Nordic remakes have been faithful to the original titles.

Gothic Remake is said to be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. As of now, there is no time frame in place for release.