There's no saying when the next Gothic title will launch, but it's not all that bad, because the most recent release Gothic 3 is getting is an expansion. Gothic 3 - Forsaken Gods offers not only new content, but promises fans a seamless top to Gothic 4. Check out the full article for more details.

The Gothic franchise has been receiving mixed feedback from the players and the haters ever since the first installment came out. From extreme ends of the spectrum, actually: some really loved it, some really abhorred it. It's now running on its third title (Gothic 3 for the PC) in the series, so we're guessing JoWood must be doing something right.

To continue the success of the series though, they've just announced that they're going to publish Gothic 4... with a bit of a caveat. Turns out that the German company - Piranha Bites, A.K.A. Pluto 13 - who developed the previous three titles in the series will be stripped off its developing rights. JoWood is now looking for a new developer for the next installment.

We're not sure how or why they decided to end ties with Piranha Bites, and we're not sure if that will lead to a good or bad thing. HOWEVER. Here's one good thing we do know: Gothic 4 will be published for the PC, and, for the first time ever in the franchise, next-gen consoles. What consoles exactly? No further details were given but we're placing our bets on Xbox 360 and PS3, but it's fair game for everyone, regardless.

More Gothic 4 updates in the future as they come along.

JoWooD Productions is proud to announce that their RPG for the PC, Gothic 3, has sold more than 500,000 copies, making it one of the most successful German RPGs ever.

Senior Marketing Manager for Jowood, Johannes Natterer, says,

Every week we're curious about the incoming charts, showing sales of both Collector's and Standard Edition at a stable and high level. Our high expectations are still outnumbered and Gothic 3 is finally on its way to become a known and beloved brand even outside the German speaking territories.

Publisher Koch Media is also ecstatic about this recent development, for perfectly understandable reasons too. I mean, what company wouldn't be glad that they're raking in this much cash, eh? Now just in case you haven't gotten a copy yet (even though it's been out for like three months already), or you've forgotten the features that you'll find in the game, here's a quick refresher:

• Specially designed easy combat system
• Clear main goals, with the story driven yet dictated by the player
• Vast and free-roaming world and environments
• Advanced human behavior AI with full audio dialogues
• Over 50 different monsters and animals and dozens of human enemies
• Over 50 different powerful spells and over a hundred different weapons
  

So if you weren't one of the 500,000+ users who grabbed a copy, you might wanna start thinking and heading out to stores, fellas.

The Nameless Hero of Myrtana is a winner in the German Game Developer Award. If you were one of those people who eagerly waited for the demo release of JoWooD's Gothic 3 and who actually downloaded the huge demo, the awards wouldn't be a surprise to you. But to some skeptics, this may just be the thing that could change your mind about this RPG offering.

Gothic 3 has won in five categories of the German Game Developer award with first place finishes on the Best Story/ World and Best Sound Category. The game was a runner up in the Best Graphic award and was third place in the Best Design and Best German Game awards.

Not only did they manage to impress the critics but they were also able to reap various Audience awards such as Best Roleplaying Game, Best international game, and Best Community Management. So with all that, you can't really blame JoWooD and development partner Piranha Bytes if they are having a field day over this.

As we announced earlier, JoWooD Productions, Deep Silver, and Piranha Bytes have a Gothic 3 demo. It lets players travel through the Ardea, Reddock, and Kap Dun, and two of the game's three main factions are the focus of this demo: the rebels and the orcs - and you encounter them in your choice of mission:

• Impress the orcs by fighting in the arena
• Complete several quests for the rebels in their fight against the orcs

Non-linear story. In Gothic 3, you have saved the island of Khorinis from evil (in Gothic 1 and Gothic 2). Orcs have invaded and captured the human kingdom, but humans in the icy north, southern desert, and in the forests and mountains of Midland are still holding out. So you can join the human rebellion or join the Orcs. Each game will vary depending on your choices.

Features. According to our press source:

• The combat system is meant to be easy to use
• Clear main goals - story driven yet dictated by player's choice
• Huge free-roaming world - virtually no boundaries
• Advanced human behavior AI for hundreds of individual characters with full audio dialogues
• Countless side-quests for the player to choose from
• Over 50 different monsters and animals and dozens of human enemies
• Over 50 different powerful spells and over a hundred different weapons
• Unique class-free character development

The download is HUGE. Over 1,000 MB, so we'll host it here as soon as we can. But for now, you can head on over to Gothic 3's official website.

Attention, all Gothic people! Calling Gothic people! The Gothic 3 demo will be available this coming Friday, November 10. Despite what the title of the game might connote, you don't have to be wearing black, slitting your wrists, and listening to Goth music in order to like this game. The term might mean something different these days, but the game gets its name from it's Dark Ages theme - not the Christina Ricci subculture of today.

This third installment of JoWood Production's Gothic series will continue the story of the Nameless Hero of Myrtana. In the demo, you'd be able to choose which of the two factions you'd want to join: the orcs or the rebels. You better choose wisely, as this will set the course of the game. Here are some of the features for the game:

• Specially designed easy combat system
• Clear main goals - story driven yet dictated by player's choice; Huge free-roaming world - virtually no boundaries; Countless side-quests for the player to choose from
• Advanced human behavior AI for hundreds of individual characters with full audio dialogues
• Over 50 different monsters and animals and dozens of human enemies
• Over 50 different powerful spells and over a hundred different weapons

Once again: the demo's on November 10. You've got ten days to take a tour of the nearby environs, and come November 20, the game will be released. So, whether you're a Gothic (fan) or not, keep your toes warm and toasty for all those sleepless hours to come (and stay away from the wrist-slitting).