Summary
Alone in the Darkdeveloper Pieces Interactive has been shut down by its parent company, Embracer Group, following a string of closures by the Swedish conglomerate. In recent years, Embracer Group has developed a reputation for acquiring and subsequently shuttering multiple subdivisions.Alone in the Darkserved as a reimagining of Infogrames’s 1992 series of the same name and was released in March 2024 to mixed reviews, despite a compelling lead duo in Jodie Comer and David Harbour. The original was credited as being one of the earliest iterations of a survival horror game, but the 2024 remake failed to inspire.
Embracer Group, formerly Nordic Games, operates out of Karlstad, Sweden. As of 2024, the company owns over 100 studios, including Coffee Stain Studios (Goat Simulator), Cryptic Studios (Star Trek Online), Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider), and even Dark Horse Comics, the publisher behindStar Wars,300, andBuffy the Vampire Slayer. Since 2022, manystudios under Embracer Group have been subjected to layoffs. By late 2023 alone, Embracer Group had laid off more than 900 employees in an attempt to reduce a staggering $2 billion debt.
Courtesy ofIGN, Pieces Interactive posted a statement to its website with the following text: “2007 - 2024, Thanks for playing with us.” Pieces Interactive addressed the closure by reflecting on the studio’s 17 years of service to the gaming community with titles such asPuzzlegeddon,Fret Nice,Leviathan Warships,Robo Surf,andKill to Collect. The statement shares how Pieces Interactive was acquired by Embracer Group in 2017 following the success of the RPGTitan Questas well as its two expansion packs,Titan Quest: Ragnarok andTitan Quest: Atlantis.Embracer Group also divided itself into three separate entitiesrecently to better categorize its subsidiaries. Gustav Pethrus, a former employee of Pieces Interactive, verified the closure onLinkedIn, and other former employees have alsoconfirmedthe layoffs to have been happening since mid-April.
Embracer Group Canceled Approximately 80 Projects
It would appear thatAlone in the Darkfailed to meet Embracer Group’s sales expectations, which resulted in the shuttering of Pieces Interactive. According toGamesIndustry.biz, there are 141 development projects in the works across all of Embracer Group’s businesses, down from a previous 221. From those statistics, it looks like Embracer has canceled around 80 projects over the last few years, and yetAlone in the Darkstill managed to come to fruition. Despite mixed reviews,Alone in the Darkhas been favorably compared to theResident Evilfranchise in that it uses a third-person, over-the-shoulder perspective with combat consisting of a firearm and melee weapon.
Since theAlone in the Darkseries has continued to contribute to years of gaming industry growth, there were initially talks of a remake after the release of the series' fifth installment,Alone in the Dark: Inferno.However, the game was ultimately canceled after the liquidation of developer Eden Games.Alone in the Darkdirector Mikael Hedberg had previously worked onAmnesia: The Dark Descent, whereas the artist behind the game’s monsters, Guy Davis, worked closely with Guillermo del Toro on the concept art forPinocchio. But despite a talented crew,Alone in the Darkcouldn’t meet the needs of Embracer Group, the conglomerate that once aimed to foster the studio’s long-term potential.
Alone in the Dark
WHERE TO PLAY
Alone in the Dark weaves a chilling tapestry of psychological horror and Southern Gothic charm, reimagining the iconic game that set the benchmark for the genre. We invite you to join us on a journey into madness, where each encounter could be your last. With each step you take closer to unravelling Derceto’s mystery, the eyes that watch from the darkness grow hungrier.Every bullet means the difference between survival and an unthinkable end. The next door you unlock could lead to a nightmarish realm offering nothing but slashing claws, grasping tentacles, and frayed sanity. Journey to interbellum Louisiana, where an era of decadence hides a darker tale - of escape from past traumas and an intolerant society, into the waiting grasp of something darker, something that has patiently lurked for impossible eons.This is Alone in the Dark as you’ve never seen it - a skillfully-woven narrative of Southern Gothic elegance and eldritch madness that pays homage to its legendary origins while taking the next step forward in survival horror storytelling.
