Embracer Group Acquires Crystal Dynamics, Eidos, and Square Enix Montreal

Written by Brandon Hofer on May 02, 2022

News: The next big acquisition in the industry has just been announced as the Embracer Group now owns some popular and beloved franchises.

There is a new acquisition taking place in the industry and once again it involves the Embracer Group. It has been revealed that the Embracer Group will be acquiring Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal. This deal will also include Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and more than 50 other games and franchises from Square Enix. This acquisition includes eight global locations and 1,100 employees across three different studios. One of the most surprising aspects of this deal is the price, however. During a time when Sony bought Bungie for $3.6 billion and Microsoft is in the process of buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, the Embracer Group is getting everything I mentioned above for a comparatively small 300 million. It is an unbelievable figure considering the IP that is involved in this deal has to be worth much more than that, especially with franchises like Tomb Raider that have had a lot of success lately and other dormant franchises that will no doubt be successful if they are revived. Like any other acquisition, this deal is subject to regulatory and other approvals and is currently expected to close during the second quarter of the Embracer Group’s financial year.

”We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades. It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer,” says Lars Wingefors, Co-founder and Group CEO, Embracer Group.

”Embracer is the best kept secret in gaming: a massive, decentralized collection of entrepreneurs whom we are thrilled to become a part of today. It is the perfect fit for our ambitions: make high-quality games, with great people, sustainably, and grow our existing franchises to their best versions ever. Embracer allows us to forge new partnerships across all media to maximize our franchises’ potential and live our dreams of making extraordinary entertainment,” says Phil Rogers, Square Enix America, and Europe CEO.

Once this transaction is finalized the United States will be Embracer’s #1 country when you look at the total number of game developers with Canada following along at #2. When this is all said and done Embracer will have more than 14,000 employees, 10,000 game developers, and a whopping 124 internal studios. The Embracer Group has over 230 games currently in development with more than 30 of them being big blockbuster AAA games.

To put this transaction (and price tag) a bit more into perspective, let's look at the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex franchises. Tomb Raider has sold over 88 million copies while the Deus Ex franchise has sold over 12 million. Additionally, Embracer specifically called out Legacy of Kain and Thief as two other franchises that they want to invest in. To me, that sounds like if you are a Legacy of Kain or Thief fan, there might be more games coming for those franchises, although they are most likely years away. Another franchise that some gamers would like to see return is Sleeping Dogs, which should also be a part of this acquisition as well.

Which of the many dormant franchises would you like to see make a return? Do you want to see a new Deus Ex game? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

source: Embracer Group