Embracer Group has shut down Pieces Interactive, the studio behind 2024’s Alone in the Dark remake after it failed to meet sales expectations.
A statement posted on the studio’s website (spotted by IGN) features a graphic with its logo and the text “thanks for playing with us,” along with the years 2007-2024. It goes on to list some of the games Pieces worked on, including its own titles and the ones it provided support for.
“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,” the statement read. The last sentence just says: “Our last release was the reimagening [sic] of Alone in the Dark.”
— Pieces Interactive (@PiecesInt) June 17, 2024
The Alone in the Dark remake released in March 2024 and starred Jodie Comer and David Harbour. In its Q4 financials released in May, Embracer highlighted that sales decreased in the PC and console games segment partially due to the “softer-than-expected performance” from Alone in the Dark and Outcast: A New Beginning. It added that the two games “saw a positive reception from users, but a mixed reception from critics and ultimately performed below management expectations.” In April, Pieces workers reported layoffs.
We found Alone in the Dark to be a mixed experience overall, but it had some silly charm that paid tribute to the 1992 original and showed that Pieces understood traditional horror game design.
It’s been a wild year for Embracer Group. After going on an acquisition spree at the start of the decade, it started laying off workers and shutting down studios like Saints Row’s Volition and Free Radical after a reported $2 billion deal with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Group fell through. The next major moves involved divesting Saber Interactive and Gearbox Software before announcing in April that it’ll be splitting up into three companies: Asmodee, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends.
As stated in a report from GamesIndustry.biz, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors followed up that announcement by saying the company was done with its restructuring efforts.
