Nordic launched a teaser site earlier this week with a countdown clock ticking down to the full reveal today. ELEX is the first collaboration between Piranha Bytes and Nordic; Deep Silver published the first two Risen games, and is also publishing Risen 3: Titan Lords, which launches this August.
ELEX which is an acronym for "eclectic, lavish, exhilarating, xenial" takes place in a "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," according to a press release from Nordic. The word xenial describes hospitality, or a cordial relationship between a host and guest.
"ELEX is going to be edgy, dark, uncompromising, complex, and we love it already," said Reinhard Pollice, business and product development director at Nordic Games. While details are scarce at this point, Pollice added that Piranha Bytes will exhibit ELEX at Gamescom 2015 next month.
ELEX is in development on Windows PC and "current gen console platforms," according to Nordic Games. Asked for clarification, a Nordic Games representative told Polygon that Piranha Bytes is "targeting" PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. ELEX is scheduled to be released next winter late 2016 or early 2017.