The Rise and Fall of Embracer (aka THQ Nordic)

[Morgoth]

THQ Cringe has convinced me that AA Trash is even more horrible than AAA Trash.

 

[Infinitron]

No JA3 or Gothic Remake at Gamescom. Sad!

 

[LESS T_T]

Another buying spree.

Now Lars Wingefors can say "I own Middle-earth". IP rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works by J.R.R Tolkien:
https://embracer.com/release/embrac...d-the-hobbit-literary-works-by-j-r-r-tolkien/

Codex thread: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...s-rights-to-everything-not-just-games.144242/


Limited Run Games, the publisher of premium physical releases:
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-limited-run-games/


Tuxedo Labs, indie developer behind the hit sandbox game Teardown:
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-tuxedo-labs/


Tripwire Interactive of Killing Floor:
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-tripwire-interactive/


Singtrix, a karaoke company:
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-singtrix/


They also established 11th operating group called Freemode:
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-announces-the-11th-operating-group-embracer-freemode/

And this Freemod already acquired three comapnies.

• Tatsujin, the first Japanese company under Embracer, along with old Japanese arcade IPs like Snow Bros and Truxton
• Bitwave Games, Swedish company focused on retro games
• Gioteck, gaming accessory company

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Lars Wingefors is actually just a pseudonym for Elon Musk, isn't it?

 

[karoliner]

Holy shit Embracer stop it, leave something for everyone else!

 

[vortex]

If they did this before, Obisdian could've make CRPG like Pillars in LOTR universe.

 

[ferratilis]

Now we can get a LotR game made by Piranha Bytes. Nice.

 

[vortex]

Now we can get a LotR game made by Piranha Bytes. Nice.

FromSoftware

 

[Riddler]

And their profit margins seem to be increasing as well...

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[LESS T_T]

https://embracer.com/release/financ...-fy-23-24-and-sek-1-0-1-5-billion-fy-24-25-3/

In addition to the five communicated acquisitions today, 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. The consideration and financial impact from this un-disclosed acquisition is included in the disclosed numbers in this press release.

At this point if they make their own PC store and make all of their games exclusive to it, it would be the greatest threat to Steam, definitely more than Epic.

(But they most likely wouldn't considering the founder's hands-off approach.)

 

[Abu Antar]

One of the Group's AAA projects has transitioned to another studio within the Group. This was done to ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title. We are not expecting any material delays for the title based on this transition.

KOTOR Remake by Saber Interactive, maybe? They were helping with the project.
https://embracer.com/report/embrace...t-sales-increased-by-107-to-sek-7118-million/

 

[rusty_shackleford]

The aggregated upfront purchase price amounts to SEK 6.0 billion

That's a lot less than I thought it would be. Huh, who knew you could buy LotR rights for so cheap considering that figure includes other acquisitions, at least one major?

 

[Ghulgothas]

https://embracer.com/release/financ...-fy-23-24-and-sek-1-0-1-5-billion-fy-24-25-3/

In addition to the five communicated acquisitions today, Embracer has entered into agreement to acquire another company within PC/Console gaming that, for commercial reasons, is not disclosed today.

Betting that it was Devolver Digital they just bought.

 

[vortex]

I wish they buy Bioware.

 

[raz3r]

I just hope we finally get a conclusion for the Deus Ex trilogy.

 

[Ismaul]

Wait what? Outcast 2 looking like proper ELEX 2? Nice.

 

[gurugeorge]

I was initially hopeful about THQ Nordic buying up smaller companies, thinking the infusion of funding might help take their games to the next level, or at least allow them to continue developing good stuff without typical AAA bullshit. However, the early returns are ... pretty disappointing to say the least. Both ELEX 2 and Expeditions: Rome are worse than the earlier entries in their respective franchises. The waterfall of shit continues unabated...

I was very much unimpresssed with that demo of the proposed Gothic remake.

 

[Insect Hordes]

Cocksuckers are buying magic beans.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

https://embracer.com/stories/2022/09/14/why-crunch-has-to-die/

It’s busy days for Helen Haynes, as she and the rest of Dambuster Studios put the final touches to Dead Island 2. But as an HR manager, Helen’s mission is not killing zombies — it’s creating the best working conditions possible. And since retirement is just around the corner for Helen, she’s not holding back when she delivers some hard-earned truths about what HR should be in the games industry. Buckle up!

 

[rusty_shackleford]

this is a fucking goldmine

The world’s most inclusive game studio?​

Making game studios more inclusive and increasing the gender balance are big challenges for the games industry. The good news? Vermila Studios in Madrid seems to have found a solution to the problem. The bad news? They don’t really know how they did it.

https://embracer.com/stories/2022/06/01/the-worlds-most-inclusive-game-studio/

Welcome to the Well-Being Committee​

Do we really need more committees? Well, if the committee is committed to your well-being, the answer might be yes. At Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, Emma Green and the other members of the Well-Being Committee is busy making the work place better for everyone, with a special focus on mental health. As it turns out, it doesn’t need to be all that complicated.

https://embracer.com/stories/2022/05/11/welcome-to-the-well-being-committee/

 

[Dadd]

They're always vague about what constitutes "help" for mental issues. I notice people saying "based in/at" a location (eg based at home) way more often than they used to a few years ago. I wonder if the diet advice they give is related to the EAT-Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet or something like that.

 

[BlackAdderBG]

Hamburg...I mean games?

 

[samoilaaa]

how can a category of people that represent a very small percentage of the population be a part of every fucking media ( music , movies , video games ) , since when does the majority does things according to the minority

there was a time when people had common sense and saw homosexuality and transexuality as a mental disease , now instead of trying to bring those damaged souls on the right path you give them more power

i thought embracer wouldnt be a part of this bullshit ( because a big part of the company is owned by saudi arabia people ) but it looks like they are slowly going down that path

 

[rusty_shackleford]

how can a category of people that represent a very small percentage of the population be a part of every fucking media ( music , movies , video games ) , since when does the majority does things according to the minority

there was a time when people had common sense and saw homosexuality and transexuality as a mental disease , now instead of trying to bring those damaged souls on the right path you give them more power

I thought this post was going to go in a completely different direction than it did