[2] Shortly thereafter, Brüggemann left the company to work on smaller game projects, eventually designing The Settlers: Rise of an Empire.

[3] Piranha Bytes' management performed a management buyout, concluded in September that year, and transferred the studio's trademarks and intellectual property, including the rights to the Gothic series, to Pluto 13 GmbH, a new entity that assumed "Piranha Bytes" as its trading name.

[8] In 2023, Embracer Group began implementing cost reduction measures to reduce accrued debt, including significant layoffs and studio closures.

As this was unsuccessful, it began laying off all staff in December, a process ongoing as of 17 January 2024, and reduced the company to a shell.

[9][10] On January 22, 2024, the studio released a message on its official website, which expressed optimism about finding a partner for future projects and promised to keep the community updated.

[12][13] Some of the former employees founded the independent studio Pithead, which is being led by husband and wife Björn and Jenny Pankratz, who have been part of Piranha Bytes more or less since its inception.