THQ Nordic has released a prototype of the updated Gothic and is waiting for player feedback

It has been 18 years since the words "Welcome to our colony!" sounded at the beginning of the fantasy role-playing game Gothic. This is almost a generation in human life and many milestones in the development of the computer industry.

What if you take something that was great almost 20 years ago and give it a modern look, for example, with the help of Unreal Engine 4, while also improving the combat system, which was weaker than the rest of the components?

To get the opinion of true fans of Gothic about the modern version of the cult role-playing classic, THQ Nordic and the new Spanish studio THQ Nordic Barcelona staged an experiment. A free playable prototype is now available in the Steam Library for users who own any of the Piranha Bytes games: Gothic 1-3, Risen 1-3 or ELEX. They will be able to play an updated version of Gothic and wander through the expanses of the valley of the mines of Khorinis. And it is worth saying that the level of graphics and animation has been raised many times.

After a 2-hour introduction to a possible look for a future re-release, each player will be asked to complete a survey. This will let THQ Nordic decide whether to continue developing a full remastered version of Gothic or leave the fond memories of the great game intact.

It seems that during the development process, the company had doubts about the appropriateness of further investments, which required more than expected. In other words, for those who passionately welcome such a re-release, it is advisable to be active and show the publisher their interest: "We will begin full development only if the community demonstrates the demand for an updated version of Gothic."

The company notes that even if the decision is positive, the full version of the re-release will have to wait quite a long time: “We will need to attract more people, rent a larger office and recreate Gothic from scratch. Since we are moving to Unreal Engine 4, we can use, by and large, only the plot, the world, the atmosphere, the music and the essence of Gothic. All technical aspects, all graphics, all sound, all game systems will be recreated to 2020 standards.”

Source: 3dnews.ru