Embracer Group has announced the launch of a brand-new operating group called Embracer Freemode and its acquisition of different studios. The Embracer Freemode is the company’s 11th operating group, and it comprises certain gaming and entertainment companies owned by Embracer. Along with this, the company has also announced its acquisition of different studios including Limited Run Games, Singtrix, Tuxedo Labs, Tripwire Interactive, Tatsujin, and the IP rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works by J.R.R Tolkien.
Starting with the very first announcement, Embracer Freemode is led by CEO Lee Guinchard who has 30 years of experience in gaming and entrepreneurship. The new group will focus on 6 broad and diverse business market segments including Retro/Classic/Heritage Gaming & Entertainment, Game Development & Production, Devices, Gear & Collectables, Community & E-commerce, New Idea & Technology Incubation, and Production Services. Right after its formation, Embracer Freemode has already acquired three studios.
These include Tatsujin based in Japan, Bitwave Games based in Sweden, and Giotek, based in Europe. Tatsujin is led by Masahiro Yuge who is one of the founders of the iconic arcade games studio Toaplan which is the studio behind titles such as Truxton, Snow Bros, and Flying Shark. Bitwave Games is known for its work on retro games and will help Embracer Freemode to bring NES/Famicon classic platformer Gimmick! on consoles along with shoot ‘em up titles from Toaplan to PC. Giotek has over 2 decades of experience in accessory brands and will help Embracer expand into this sector as well.
Embracer Group has also acquired Limited Run Games which is a global leader in publishing collector-focused physical video games with a strong brand presence, established direct-to-consumer channels, and also owns the brilliant development technology Carbon Engine that ports retro games to modern platformers. Their Carbon Engine will help Embracer Group bring more retro and legacy titles to modern consoles and PC both digitally and physically. Their first releases based on the Carbon Engine are Shantae and River City Girls Zero.
After the acquisition, Limited Run Games will act as an independent subsidiary and the current founders of the company Josh Fairhurst (CEO) and Douglas Bogart (COO) will continue to lead the company under the newly formed Embracer Freemode. Next up, Embracer has also acquired the US-based award-winning creator of industry-leading vocal processing effects technology for karaoke, gaming, and entertainment, Singtrix. Singtrix has over 25 years of experience in the development of iconic music games and it was also the first to patent the core technology behind the Guitar Hero franchise.
Probably the most important acquisition for Embracer Group is the IP rights to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. This includes a vast intellectual property catalog and worldwide rights to motion pictures, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks, and stage productions relating to the iconic franchise. At this point, Middle-earth Enterprises has three main financial interests including the upcoming Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, which is coming out on September 2, 2022, and is set thousands of years before the original trilogy and The Hobbit Films.
Apart from this, the animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohorrim animated movie is coming out in 2024 while the mobile game The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is also currently in development over at EA. Future opportunities include exploring additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel, Eowyn, and other characters from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and continue to provide new opportunities for fans to explore this fictive world through merchandising and other experiences
Moving on, Embracer Group has also acquired the developer Tuxedo Labs through its owned subsidiary Saber Interactive. Tuxedo Labs is known for their voxel-based destruction game Teardown and the studio will now become a part of Saber Interactive, working under the umbrella of Embracer Group. The acquisition will add Dennis Gustafsson, Tuxedo Labs’ founder and CTO, and his team of 5 to the Saber Interactive group. Finally, Embracer Group has also announced the acquisition of US developer and publisher Tripwire Interactive.
Tripwire Interactive was owned by four owners and Embracer Group will acquire all rights to the studio from them. Tripwire Interactive is known for titles such as Maneater, Killing Floor, and Rising Storm series. This acquisition has also been done through Saber Interactive which means that the team will join Saber Interactive along with Tuxedo Labs. Co-founder and CEO Alan Wilson will stay on in his role and continue to run Tripwire along with Bill Munk, Co-founder, and Lead Combat Designer, and David Hensley, Design Director however Co-Founder John Gibson will now pursue other opportunities. For additional details, you can check out Embracer Group’s official website.
What are your thoughts on this huge news dump from Embracer group and all of their recent acquisitions and announcements? Let us know in the comments section below.
