The Swedish publisher, Embracer Group, will acquire the Eidos, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix Montreal studios and an extensive catalog with more than fifty titles, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain sagas.
In total, around 1,100 people work at the three affected studios. Embracer is paying $300 million for the entire package. The acquisition is expected to be completed by September 2022 at the latest.
In the press release, Embracer Group emphasizes games such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex. “Embracer has been particularly impressed by the studios’ rich portfolio of original IP, housing brands with proven global potential such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, as well as demonstrating the ability to create AAA games with large and growing fan bases. There are compelling opportunities to organically grow the studios to maximize their commercial opportunities.”
After the takeover, the company will employ around 14,000 people worldwide, of which around 10,000 are directly involved in game development. Around 230 new games are said to be in production at the moment, around 30 of which Embracer believes have something like AAA status.
In recent years, Embracer Group has repeatedly bought smaller and larger studios. In the meantime, Gearbox Software (Duke Nukem, Borderlands), 4A Games (Metro Exodus), Warhorse (Kingdom Come Deliverance), Piranha Bytes (Gothic, Risen and Elex) as well as the board game manufacturer Asmodee and the comic publisher Dark Horse belong to the group.
