The Rise and Fall of Embracer (aka THQ Nordic)

[Vormulak]

elex was trash

Begone, heretic!

its just an uglier, less fun to play gothic.

 

[Ismaul]

elex was trash

Begone, heretic!

its just an uglier, less fun to play gothic.

While Gothic is better, ELEX was quite good and refreshing, and has stuff not present in the Gothic series.

And anything close to Gothic is still leaps and bounds above most games.

 

[LESS T_T]

Embracing more small and new studios: https://embracer.com/release/embrac...udios-kaiko-massive-miniteam-and-frame-break/

EMBRACER GROUP ACQUIRES APPEAL STUDIOS, KAIKO, MASSIVE MINITEAM AND FRAME BREAK

Embracer Group AB (“Embracer”) through its subsidiaries THQ Nordic GmbH and Amplifier Game Invest AB have entered into four acquisition agreements to acquire 100% each of Appeal Studios S.A., KAIKO GmbH, Massive Miniteam GmbH and FRAME BREAK AB. In addition, THQ Nordic is today also announcing that it has founded Gate 21 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aggregated day one purchase price for all four acquisitions amounts to approximately SEK 71 million on a cash and debt free basis.

THQ Nordic has made the following acquisitions:

Appeal Studios SA: THQ Nordic GmbH has acquired Belgium-based- Appeal Studios S.A.– the original creators behind Outcast (1999). Appeals Studios was founded in 2018 and is currently engaging 55 employees. The team is currently developing an innovative Open-world sci-fi action adventure that has not been officially announced. See Appeal Studios’ website for further information, https://www.appeal-studios.com/.

KAIKO GmbH: THQ Nordic GmbH has acquired the Frankfurt-based KAIKO – the developer behind numerous technically challenging ports such as in Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered, Legend of Kay Anniversary, Darksiders: Warmastered, Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition and most recently Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning and its upcoming expansion Fatesworn. The studio was founded 2014 and currently engages 10 employees. See KAIKO’s website for further information, http://www.KAIKOgames.com/.

Massive Miniteam GmbH: THQ Nordic GmbH’s studio and publisher, HandyGames has acquired the German-based studio Massive Miniteam. The acquisition is the first one done by HandyGames. Massive Miniteam was founded 2018. The studio is located Pulheim, near Cologne, and employs 20 team members. Massive Miniteam is a motivated and highly creative development team working with HandyGames on several titles. Massive Miniteam will be fully integrated within the HandyGames organization, under the operative group THQ Nordic. See Massive Miniteam’s website for further information, https://www.massiveminiteam.com/.

In addition, THQ Nordic GmbH has founded and incorporated Gate21 d.o.o in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The team will enable THQ Nordic GmbH to have world-class 3D characters using the most advanced character and facial rigs in development projects.

Amplifier Game Invest AB has made the following acquisition:

FRAME BREAK AB: Amplifier Game Invest AB has acquired the Swedish-based studio FRAME BREAK AB. The studio was founded in 2020 and today has a team size of 5 persons. FRAME BREAK will be developing games based on their own IP, focusing on highly replayable co-op experiences on platforms like PC and Consoles. FRAME BREAK, based in Skövde, becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Amplifier Game Invest AB, joining the ranks of 13 other game development companies already part of the Amplifier family.

Through the Acquisitions, Embracer Group grows to 68 internal studios and more than 7,100 employees and contracted employees in more than 40 countries.

 

[Abu Antar]

That sum is small potatoes.

 

[Paul_cz]

Wait, Appeal exists? I thought they sure went bankrupt after Outcast remake flopped (unfairly, it was great). I am pleased by this news.

Also, 68 studios. Insane.

 

[Ismaul]

Wait, Appeal exists? I thought they sure went bankrupt after Outcast remake flopped (unfairly, it was great). I am pleased by this news.

Appeal has always failed to secure funding for projects after the original Outcast, sadly. Their reformed studio ElseWhere Entertainment showed promise, until they failed and had to be bought to work on racing games lol.

And here we are, back to Appeal. It's a fucking undead. Failed to even Kickstart the remake to their only success... Seems like they kept afloat with puzzle/trivia games after the remake.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if anything good comes out of this. It's sad, they had innovative ideas and approaches to world design. 20 years ago.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

So... new Red Faction when?

 

[karoliner]

The ride never ends.

 

[Don Peste]

This goes here?
"TimeSplitters is returning, developed by a reformed Free Radical Design headed by TimeSplitters vets"

 

[LESS T_T]

https://embracer.com/release/embrac...tional-ebit-increased-216-to-sek-903-million/

During the quarter, we have engaged with more than 150 companies about joining the Group, including larger companies that could form additional operating groups and have a significant impact on the Group as a whole. Currently, across the Group, we are in more than 20 late-stage talks. These include several signed exclusive LOI’s that would, if concluded, strengthen the operating groups and further improve the outlook of the Group. Acquisitions will be announced in due course when they occur.

 

[Spacer's Nugget]

150 companies, and I bet OtherSide Entertainment is one of them. Will Paul Neurath's scheme pay off at last?

 

[Immortal]

I bet OtherSide Entertainment is one of them. Will Paul Neurath's scheme pay off at last?

This is the company that sold System Shock to Tencent and made a shit Unity game?


:meh:

 

[thesecret1]

we have engaged with more than 150 companies about joining the Group

The Group will assimilate all.

 

[Paul_cz]

Huh

During the past financial year, the actual fees paid to platform-holders (console and Steam) for digital sales alone are estimated to be a least 2x the actual costs spent on game development during the past fiscal year. We will continue to challenge these paradigms and pursue opportunities to reduce costs and increase the relative investment into content creation.

I bet Embracer would really like to see Sweeney defeat Apple, however unlikely that is

 

[DeepOcean]

Wait a minute, 30% is twice what they spent on actual game development? Man, those shovelware factories are really cheap.

 

[Paul_cz]

Wait a minute, 30% is twice what they spent on actual game development? Man, those shovelware factories are really cheap.

It is all relative. Valheim had extremely tiny budget, yet sold 7 million copies, making Valve many times the amount what it cost to develop, for example.

 

[DDZ]

Man, Wreckfest was one of if not the best racing game of the past few years, and Carmageddon 1 is my GOAT. New Carma game plx.

 

[Deflowerer]

Huh

During the past financial year, the actual fees paid to platform-holders (console and Steam) for digital sales alone are estimated to be a least 2x the actual costs spent on game development during the past fiscal year. We will continue to challenge these paradigms and pursue opportunities to reduce costs and increase the relative investment into content creation.

I bet Embracer would really like to see Sweeney defeat Apple, however unlikely that is

Probably includes back catalogue titles in that comparison which THQ has aplenty.

 

[ADL]

The Embracer Group, an enormous corporate blob encompassing publishers like Gearbox, THQ Nordic and Deep Silver, has just bought seven new studios, including 3D Realms (Duke Nukem) and Ghost Ship Games (Deep Rock Galactic).

Also purchased are Graven’s Slipgate Ironworks, VR studio Force Field, Huntdown’s Easy Trigger, Digixart and mobile studio Crazy Labs. While in a purchasing mood, Embracer also bought “merchandise company Grimfrost” who have a “focus on viking merchandise”.

The purchases rounded up to around $315 million in US dollars, and are Embracer’s first big splash of case since...February of this year, when they spent a ton on Borderlands publishers Gearbox. The series picked up today, like Duke Nukem, join loads of other properties that Embracer now owns like Saints Row, Dead Island, TimeSplitters, Metro and all of Gearbox’s series.

Six of the seven new studios are being handed off to one of Embracer’s existing larger entities; 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks now belong to Saber Interactive, Force Field and Digixart to Koch, Ghost Ship Games and Easy Trigger to Coffee Stain.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/embracer-group-buys-seven-studios-055000418.html

 

[Morgoth]

The Anschlussing continues. If this bubble isn't going to blow up then I don't know what.

 

[LESS T_T]

All that quarrels between 3D Realms and Gearbox over Duke Nukem, now they all are Embraced.

Also funny now Tim Willits is their creative boss (since they are acquired under Saber Interactive)

 

[Morgoth]

Saber should do a full blown Ion Fury sequel. With actual 3D graphics and real money backing it.

 

[ADL]

I believe this would put Shadow Warrior under the same umbrella as 3D Realms too.

 

[Paul_cz]

Embracer now owns the Boomer Shooter subgenre.

 

[Baron Dupek]

they should leak release DNF 2001 build already