Hardcore RPG fans are probably familiar with Piranha Bytes, the German studio known for its work on the Gothic & Risen series. The developer is now working on a brand new IP in collaboration with publisher Nordic Games: the game is called ELEX and it's set in a sci-fi world. Here's the original press release from the announcement:

　　ELEX is a handcrafted action role-playing experience from the award-winning creators of the Gothic series, set in a brand new post-apocalyptic science fantasy universe that puts players into a huge, seamless game world full of original characters, mutated creatures, deep moral choices and powerful action.

　　“To say we are excited to see this new project unfold in the hands of Piranha Bytes is an understatement. ELEX is going to be edgy, dark, uncompromising, complex, and we love it already,“ comments Reinhard Pollice Business & Product Development Director at Nordic Games. “We will be premiering a vertical slice build at Gamescom 2015, more info will be released in due time.”

　　“Apart from being enthusiastic about the cooperation with Nordic Games, it is great to know, that we will have ample creative freedom with ELEX, which is a very important factor for us” said Björn Pankratz, Game Director at Piranha Bytes. "We can't wait to show you a completely new game experience with a fresh setting, new assets and plenty of possibilities."

　　Luckily for us, YouTuber Rocket Beans TV published a video interview with some developers, which includes the very first in-game screenshots of the game.

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　　Here's a translation of the interview by Neogaf users Phamit and Moff.

　　In development since 1.5 yearsThird person RPG like Risen or GothicPost apocalyptic, people having different levels of technology ( a bit like Horizon)Enemies won't level with youOne big continent instead of Islands like in RisenGoing to have different regions in the game (desert, woods, ice and swamp mentioned)Player is going to have a Jetpack, as seen in one imageEvery player starts at the same place (in Risen players could start at different islands)ELEX is a substance from space and came to the world with a meteoriteELEX changed fauna and floraBy consuming ELEX you get stronger and develop magic abilities, but you also "degenerate" and lose emotion, acting more like machine (acting based on logic, not emotions) than a human being. ELEX consumers also have different skin color (white/gray); wrong usage can result into mutations.In the game world ELEX is a coveted resource, you consume it or put in machines ( eg. Jetpack). Some guild can use it without the side effect and calls it Mana. Elex is essential and you have to use it in some wayThe main character was someone who heavily consumed ELEX. He was a commander in a military group of Elex users. Before the game starts his glider got shot and he lies somewhere for three weeks, so without ELEX he is more human again when the game starts. For the first time he feels emotions and sees the world differently.Normal people don't like him because he fought against them when he was part of the military group, but he also have problems to connect with his old group.That's why the moral system is not simply about being good or bad, instead it's about whether you are a human or more like machine. Being more like machine isn't necessarily a bad thing and being human a good thing.Game begins hundreds of years after the meteorite crash. The setting is inspired by Star Wars (by having both Fantasy and SciFi elements)Learning point system is back, which is the system the studio used in Gothic 1-3 and Risen 1Factions will be very important, and like in gothic 1, they are hostile/unfriendly with each other. They mentioned two of three. Clerics: high tech religious group which refuses to use elex

　　Outlaws: Mad Max like bandits, use cannons and chainswords etc.There will be romanceable NPCsPlayer will have a baseMany NPCs will be killable and stealing and killing has permanent consequences, as in NPCs becoming hostileTargeting Q4 2016 on PC/Xbox One/PS4Stay tuned on Wccftech to learn more on this interesting project.