Alone in the Dark Developer Shut Down by Embracer Group

Pieces Interactive is the latest Embracer owned company to close.

By Marc Deschamps

Following the release of Alone in the Dark just a few short months ago, developer Pieces Interactive has been shut down. The company announced its closure in an update on its website, which details its history and its year of closure. Pieces Interactive was founded in 2007, and was acquired by Embracer Group in 2017. Over the last 17 years, the studio had worked with a number of notable companies throughout the industry, including Koei Tecmo and Arrowhead Game Studios. At this time, no reason has been provided for the closure, but the poor critical and commercial reception to Alone in the Dark likely played some role. 

The closure of Pieces Interactive is just the latest development in the Embracer Group saga. Embracer Group went on a multi-year buying spree that saw the company acquire Dark Horse Media, Limited Run Games, and countless other companies. However, things came to a screeching halt last year, when a deal reportedly worth $2 billion fell through. Since then, Embracer has desperately tried to restructure in an attempt to climb out of debt. The restructure has seen several different studios spun off, or sold to different companies, or closed entirely. Unfortunately, Pieces Interactive falls into the latter category, and now a number of the studio's employees will be forced to find a new place of business. 

The reboot of Alone in the Dark seemed like an ambitious attempt at reviving one of the video game industry's oldest horror franchises. The original 1992 game is considered one of the first survival horror games ever made, and the reboot was an attempt to restore the series to its former glory. Embracer Group and Pieces Interactive brought on some top-tier voice talent for the attempted franchise revival, with Jodie Comer (Killing Eve) and David Harbour (Stranger Things, Thunderbolts) providing the voices and motion capture for the game's two lead roles. 

With Pieces Interactive shut down, the fate of Alone in the Dark is once again unknown. It's possible the franchise could be sold off to a different company as part of Embracer's current restructure, or that it could be put back on the shelf until the next attempt at a series revival. 

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Did you play the Alone in the Dark reboot? Are you disappointed to hear about the closure of the game's developer? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

[H/T: Wario64]

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