Video worth seeing: Makers of the Gothic 1 remake on the changes in the new Gothic

Alkimia Interactive are working on the Gothic 1 remake under the umbrella of THQ Nordic. In the detailed dev video, the designers explain which game elements have been deliberately reworked (expanded).

Although Alkimia Interactive and THQ Nordic have still not announced a final release date for the Gothic 1 Remake, the new version of the RPG classic should not be long in coming. The remake is intended to be as close as possible to the original by Piranha Bytes from 2001 in terms of gameplay. And yet, of course, numerous adjustments are to be expected so that gamers in 2025 will be presented with a contemporary new edition with significantly improved graphics and quality-of-life optimisations. Alkimia comments:

‘Gothic was one of the first immersive open-world role-playing games. Our task was to find out which elements should remain exactly as they are and which elements should be expanded.’

In the behind-the-scenes video linked here, lead game designer Javier Untoria and senior programmer Andre Taulien explain how this is done in the Unreal Engine and which triggers are crucial for the development team to make adjustments. In the interview, they address questions about the story, the multi-faceted dialogues and what it's like to create a dynamic, open game world. It won't be an easy balancing act to please the old gothic hares and at the same time meet the demands of today's gamers. But it looks like they're on the right track - developer Alkimia is well aware that too many changes could jeopardise the game feeling for which Gothic is still celebrated as a cult game today. Find out more in the video ‘Gothic 1 Remake | Making Of #02: Old vs. New’.