Saber Interactive's new parent company Beacon has decided not to exercise its option for buying Metro developer 4A Games and pinball outfit Zen Studios, which means the two companies will stay with Embracer.
In March this year, Embracer announced its decision to sell off Saber, granting Saber and its new parent Beacon (which is controlled by Saber CEO Matthew Karch) the option to purchase 4A Games and Zen Studios as well.
At the time, it was widely thought that Saber's exercising of this option would be a given, but Embracer has now announced that the option has been cancelled, indicating that Saber has decided not to go ahead with purchasing 4A and Zen.
Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors says 4A Games and Zen Studios will be "important building blocks in [Embracer's] continued journey", and that 4A Games is currently working on "two AAA titles", which Embracer "eagerly await[s] to announce".
Presumably, one of those games is the next title in the Metro series, which 4A Games is still working on despite its home country being torn apart by the ongoing Russian invasion. What the other one could be is anyone's guess, however.
Wingefors also gamely congratulates Saber on the "successful release of the iconic Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2" and thanks Karch for "his contributions over the years". It's nice to see execs getting along, I suppose.
Of course, it helps that this statement comes as Embracer receives $168.4 million for the sale of Saber and its related assets, with a further $28.1 million due "later in 2024 and 2025".
The retention of 4A Games and Zen Studios comes at the tail end of a difficult year for Embracer. The company has laid off hundreds upon hundreds of employees over the last year or so, killing jobs at studios like Eidos Montreal, Lost Boys Interactive, and more.
It's all been part of a company-wide restructuring effort on Embracer's part, one that has also seen studios like Saints Row developer Volition closed down, as well as the sale of outfits like Borderlands publisher Gearbox.
We'll have to wait and see what 4A Games and Zen Studios have in their pipelines, but presumably, Embracer will be banking on these releases to help it stabilize its income. Stay tuned for more on this.
