Swedish gaming holding company Embracer Group has acquired 13 new companies. These acquisitions include Shadow Warrior developer Flying Wild Hog and a number of other developers as well as PR and quality assurance firms.
Which studios has Embracer Group acquired?
In total, Embracer Group has 13 new acquisitions, 11 of which are game development studios. There's also a quality assurance (QA) studio and a public relations (PR) firm. Given Embracer Group's size, many of these acquisitions are through wholly-owned subsidiaries. The structure gets a bit labyrinthine, so here's a breakdown of all the new acquisitions plus which subsidiaries they've been acquired by.
Koch Media GmbH
Koch Media (best known for publisher Deep Silver) only has one acquisition, but it's perhaps the biggest name on this list, having created two major first-person shooters. Without further ado:
Flying Wild Hog
Polish developer Flying Wild Hog is best known for its work on the Shadow Warrior reboot series. So far, that series has yielded two games, and Flying Wild Hog is "currently working on four projects", according to Embracer. This deal alone is worth $137 million, according to previous owner Supernova Capital.
Saber Interactive
Embracer subsidiary Saber Interactive is getting a pretty big early Christmas present in the form of six studios, including several you'll probably recognize. Here's everything Saber gets in this deal:
Snapshot Games
Julian Gollop's Bulgaria-based studio is best known for 2015's Chaos Reborn and 2019's Phoenix Point, both tactical strategy games.
34BigThings
Italian developer 34BigThings is known for its 2016 racing title Redout. It's also worked on multiplayer shooter Goat of Duty and silly sports sim Super Inefficient Golf.
Mad Head Games
Mad Head Games is a Serbian indie developer best known for creating casual adventure titles like Nevertales: The Abomination and Moonsouls: The Lost Sanctum.
Nimble Giant
If you know Nimble Giant's name, it's probably from competitive online shooter Quantum League. The studio has also published games such as FPS Hellbound.
Zen Studios
Zen Studios' name is most commonly associated with its massive range of pinball games, as well as tower defense game CastleStorm.
Sandbox Strategies
According to Embracer, Sandbox Strategies is a "PR and influencer relations agency" that specializes in gaming and entertainment content creation.
THQ Nordic
Like Koch Media, THQ is only getting one studio. This time, it's a 3D platformer love-in. Here's the single acquisition under THQ Nordic:
Purple Lamp Studios
A development studio based in Vienna, Purple Lamp Studios is known for its work on SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated. The studio also created medieval life sim The Guild 3.
Amplifier Game Invest
Again, just the one acquisition for Amplifier Game Invest in the form of a British developer founded by two ex-Ubisoft staffers. Here it is:
Silent Games
This British studio hasn't published anything yet, but given concept art available on its website, Silent Games is definitely going to be one to watch.
Deca Games
There are two studios now under Deca Games' watchful gaze, both of which are best-known for mobile gaming development. Here's Deca Games' new haul:
A Thinking Ape Entertainment
According to Embracer, A Thinking Ape is a Vancouver-based creator of "free-to-play games with a social core". Titles include Kingdoms at War and Party In My Dorm.
IUGO Mobile Entertainment
Like A Thinking Ape, IUGO is a Vancouver-based mobile developer best known for games like PvPets: Tank Battle Royale and The Walking Dead: Road to Survival.
Embracer Group
Some of the new studios will be operating directly under the Embracer Group rather than any of its subsidiaries. Those studios are as follows:
Coffee Stain North (remaining 40%)
Embracer Group already owns 100% of the shares in Goat Simulator developer Coffee Stain, but the group has now purchased the remaining 40% in A Story About My Uncle subsidiary Coffee Stain North, giving it complete control of the studio.
Quantic Lab
This is a Romanian quality assurance company that specializes in gaming and app QA. Embracer has acquired 95% of the shares in Quantic Lab, which is a pretty significant controlling stake.
Whew. As you can see, it's a pretty significant haul for Embracer Group, and there are a couple of major development studios in here. It'll be interesting to see what these collaborations yield. Stay posted for more info.
How do you feel about these Embracer acquisitions? Let us know in the comments below!
