Embracer Group, the Swedish video game holding company that basically owns everything at this point, has announced its intentions to own even more of everything.
Last time we heard from the company that holds some of the gaming industry’s biggest publishing subsidiaries like THQ Nordic, Plaion, Saber Interactive and Gearbox, it had just acquired all of Square Enix’ Western Studios along with IP such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex.
This time around, Embracer has acquired a number of different entities including studios, publishers and IP holders with some being acquired under a newly-created Embracer operating group called Freemode. The newly formed operative group reportedly focuses on six different market segments that include Retro/Classic/Heritage Gaming & Entertainment, Game Development & Production, Devices, Gear & Collectables, Community & Ecommerce, New Idea & Technology Incubation and Production Services.
Embracer Freemode has already acquired studios in Japan (Tatsujin) and Sweden (Bitwave Games) and as of today’s reports will now also include Singtrix, a vocal effects tech company, Middle-earth Enterprises, the rights holder to a vast majority of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit IP, and also Limited Run Games, a long-standing publisher of physical and digital video game releases. The Middle-Earth Enterprises acquisition is especially interesting as it indicates the group’s intentions to expand into other media such as film, a sentiment echoed in the press release:
“Other opportunities include exploring additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel, Eowyn and other characters from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and continue to provide new opportunities for fans to explore this fictive world through merchandising and other experiences.
The acquisition of the rights is in line with Embracer’s IP-driven transmedia strategy. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are among the world’s largest, most enduring iconic entertainment franchises and birthed the fantasy genre.”
Meanwhile under its Saber Interactive arm, Embracer has also acquired two other studios in the form of Tripwire Interactive (Maneater, Killing Floor) and Tuxedo Labs (Teardown).
"Embracer has entered into agreement to acquire another company within PC/Console gaming that, for commercial reasons, is not disclosed today. The purchase price for this un-disclosed acquisition is in the range of being among either third or fourth largest of the Transactions." pic.twitter.com/CxQMtLVi2z
— Wario64 (@Wario64) August 18, 2022
Lastly another, undisclosed acquisition of a company within the PC/console gaming space has occurred which Embracer says it’s unable to share for commercial reasons.
If you’d like to read more about this enormous run of buy-ups, you can find all of the info in its press releases here.
