How about a sci-fi Gothic?
 

You know, with Risen and Gothic in their hands in the future, I think PB needs to do something new alongside with those franchises. because intentionally or unintentionally , they have to recycle some formulas if they want to create a Medieval themed game. Their best bet is a sci-fi themed game with Gothic and Risen game-play mechanics in my opinion. I mean they should keep the LP based RPG system, different factions that you can join, a big map that you can explore ( like the surface of a planet ) and every single thing that made Gothic and Risen great, but transform them into a sci-fi world. what do you think?

If were talking new settings I'd rather it be Steampunk.

Your idea doesn't sound bad either, it's just we're talking pie in the sky ideas here and steampunk hardly has any good games associated with it. As far as I know Arcanum was the only good one released……although I did just find out about Steamband (a steampunk angband) and that looks very interesting.

Can you imagine Nameless firing a derringer? That's so much better than a laser :D

Anything around sci-fi is always welcome by me. Except maybe post-apocalyptic worlds, which was never my favorite SF genre, with the exception of JG Ballard's or PK Dick's books. Steampunk would be great also. Anything, anything.
I'm so tired with fantasy worlds. I've been always more a SF reader than a Fantasy one.

I believe developers should stick to their strengths. Seeing as how Piranha Bytes has never done anything related to sci-fi, I think it would be a risky proposition for them.

Not that I wouldn't like to see a sci-fi game that used Gothic-like elements. I just think I'd prefer it came from someone other than PB.

I'm with skavenhorde on the steampunk suggestion though. I'd rather see something that combines the Gothic style of fantasy with a low level of technology.

I love the game architecture of Gothic and would love to see it used in other settings, whatever it is. Cyber punk, space, post-apocalypse, steampunk whatever.

Thanks for the comments.
You know, I take what I said before. I think PB needs to do a Cyberpunk Gothic. not sci-fi. Now that I think more deeply, many of Gothic elements don't fit well with sci-fi. but in the other hands,Cyber Punk fits perfectly. and just like steampunk, we don't have much good Cyberpunk games either. The only good ones I can remember are Deus Ex and System Shock 1&2.

I personally have no interest in steampunk. I find it kinda weird. but maybe, it's because I wasn't very involved with it. ( I have Arcanum, but I haven't started it yet, I should do it soon. )

Have you played the first two Fallouts? before playing those, I had no interest in PA worlds too. But Fallout changed my mind.

You can't never find your strengths if you don't try something new. Although I agree it's a really risky project and if it doesn't get done right, it would be a real fail.

As long as I know, no developer uses Gothic-like elements except PB itself. Though correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks for putting Cyber-punk in my head. Why I haven't think of it myself. :D

Strange, I never thought SS as being cyberpunk.

My problem is with the PA's ambiance.

There's nothing especially unique about the way things are done in the Gothic games. What sets them apart are the characters and atmosphere, and those things are tied to the setting.

But steampunk would be something new while not as risky - it isn´t such a dramatic shift as sci-fi.
It simply seems like a more sensible setting to branch out to for this particular developer.
I´d certainly be more interested in a steampunk PB game than in a sci-fi PB game.

Well it depends on your personal description of this sub-genre, but SS completely fits in the general description of CB ( A dark modern society in the future which has high-tech, but there is no sign of good life and idealism in it )

Well, I haven't seen the role playing system of Gothic in which you get Learning points by leveling up and you have to spend them by a certain tutor in any other other RPG. That deserves to be considered something unique. Because not only you have the challenge of getting enough XP points for a lvl up, but you also have this other challenge of finding a certain tutor to teach you abilities. ( especially in Gothic 3 which had a big world and lots of NPC's )

I see your point. I think you're right.

I thought sci-fi/cyberpunk wasn't a bad idea. Mass Effect, but without the streamlined nonsense.

I threw in steampunk because I really love that setting and too few devs have done anything with it. Plus Nameless with a derringer just sounds too cool for school.

I think that PB could do an awesome steampunk game that is similar to Risen or Gothic, but I also think they could destroy a game like Mass Effect with a cyberpunk or sci-fi setting. When I say destroy I mean in quality. Sales would be a different matter. Bioware is probably too powerful to compete with.

Are we here talking in sci-fi or SF? These are two different things.
When you mention sci-fi is space opera?

Is "SF" your abbreviation for Science Fiction? If so, why would you think it has a different meaning than Sci-fi?

SF=San Francisco?

Why would I think?! It's not a question of me. The truth is that some people don't think that SF is the same thing as Sci-Fi. For some sci-fi is more kind a pulp fiction, type Hollywood meets spaceships and monsters. While SF is more "mature" and uses usually scientific facts and/or speculations.
An example "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" is sci-fi but "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" or "Rendez-vous with Rama" are SF. ME series are sci-fi and Deus Ex is SF.
Maybe this makes more sense to SF fans and less to other folk.
Some people take this distinction really seriously. :) (Not me)

EDIT: I found this: http://www.jvoegele.com/literarysf/scifi.html

A load of crap. No doubt there are different sub-genres of science fiction, but to claim that Sci-fi means something completely different is absurd. But those people are free to believe whatever they like.

If PB wants to do it, I say definitely.

There's a fatal shortage of quality sci-fi CRPGs of any depth - and if anyone could pull it off, it would be PB.

Is there a single modern quality sci-fi CRPG? Don't say Mass Effect, please :)

Something a bit different? Sure thing. I'm looking forward to seeing the pirate twist. In fact, I just recently replayed Sea Dogs and Pirates of the Caribbean, and I'm doing a run through Monkey Island 1, 2 and 3 now (1 and 2 being the special edition remakes). I love setting variety, and I'm fairly bored with fantasy in general.

I'd love to see PB doing pretty much anything really, as long as they manage to create a strong world, which is what they do better than anyone else. Examples:
- Classic sci-fi.
- Fantasy setting based on China/Japan instead Europe.
- Steampunk.
- Caribbean, pirates and so on (they're doing a little of that in Risen 2, but we don't know how much).

Being original is hard though, as it's impossible to know whether or not it will be a success.

Cyberpunk done right!

IMO Deus Ex was done right. But yes, we need more.

The problem here is that the RPG concept game was created around fantasy and not so much around SF. The grandfather of all RPGs is D&D. That heritage was brought also to CRPGs. That could explain why there are so many fantasy RPGs.