Pieces Interactive, the Embracer Group-owned studio responsible for the recent Alone in the Dark reboot, is being shut down, making it yet another victim of a brutal couple of years in the industry and in particular at the hands of Embracer.
The studio dropped the news in a very succinct post on X, simply sharing an image of the studio logo and a “Thanks for playing with us.”
Although the exact number of staff affected is unclear, Pieces was a relatively small studio. I had the pleasure of speaking to some of the core team back at Gamescom 2022, while Alone in the Dark was still in development, and it was clear this was a ionate group of people punching well above its weight.
An accompanying post on its official website reads:
“Pieces Interactive released over ten titles on PC, Console and Mobile since 2007, both our own concepts such as Puzzlegeddon, Fret Nice, Leviathan Warships, Robo Surf and Kill to Collect, as well as work for hire titles such as Magicka 2 and several DLCs for Magicka. Our client list includes Paradox Interactive, Koei Tecmo, Arrowhead Game Studios, Koch Media and RaceRoom Entertainment.
“In 2017, Pieces Interactive were acquired by Embracer Group after working with the expansion for Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Ragnarök and third expansion for Titan Quest, Titan Quest: Atlantis.
“Our last release was the reimagening of Alone in the Dark.”
— Pieces Interactive (@PiecesInt) June 17, 2024
James gave Alone in the Dark a respectable 7/10 in his review, saying, “Alone In The Dark is an ambitious reimagining that does little to differentiate itself from the games it’s inspired by. While it’s clearly taking inspiration from both Resident Evil and The Evil Within to be a survival horror powerhouse, the flat feeling combat and timid horror elements stop it from standing above the games that inspired it. Despite this, a unique take on the story and the strong setting makes it well worth a look for horror fans.”
