For months now, the financial situation ofEmbracer Group is not in good shape after years of compulsive repurchases. Layoffs, studio closures and project cancellations therefore took place. To raise the bar, the Swedish group therefore decided to sell Saber Interactive And Gearbox Entertainment, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, we learn at the start of the week thatEmbracer Group will simply cease to exist in its current form. It’s at the bend of a long Press release that all the details of his transformation have been presented.
The main thing to remember is thatEmbrace will therefore be divided into three distinct public companies, namely Asmodee, Coffee Stain & Friends And Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends. Yes, the names of these last two may make you smile. Concretely, Asmodee will collect everything relating to board games, cards (Star Wars: Unlimited) and the resulting video games with no less than 23 studios and more than 300 intellectual properties in its portfolio (The Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Game Of Thrones, Netflix, LEGO, Star Wars…).
Coffee Stain & Friends will focus on the publishing and development of various video games on consoles, PC and mobilewhether live service and productions AA or independent. Two main segments will be established within it, one for premium titles and another for free-to-play. In the first, we will find Coffee Stain, Ghost Ship, Tarsier, Tuxedo Labs, THQ Nordic And Amplify Game Investwith more than 200 licenses including Deep Rock Galactic, Goat Simulator, Satisfactory, Wreckfest, Teardown And Valheim. On the other, there will be the lesser known Easybrain, This side, CrazyLabs And Cryptowith intellectual properties like Sudoku.com, Blockudoku, Jigsaw Puzzle, Star Trek Online And Neverwinter Online.
Finally, Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends will bring together the most important elements dedicated to developing and publishing AAA on consoles and PC, featuring licenses The Lord of the Rings And tomb Raider. The names of the studios included in it are undoubtedly much more familiar to you, namely Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studios, Eidos-Montreal, Flying Wild Hog Studios, Tripwire, Vertigo Games, Warhorse Studios And 4A Games. Yes, the developers of Metro have obviously not finished at Beacon Interactive contrary to what Matthew Karch declared during the acquisition of Saber Interactive… In addition to the licenses already mentioned, we also find Dead Island, Killing Floor And Kingdom Come Deliverancethe sequel to which has just been revealed. PLAION, Freemode And Dark Horse will also be placed under the control of this company, which will serve as the new name for Embracer Group on the stock market side, while the shares of the two other entities will be distributed as dividends to shareholders.
All this financial micmac should take 12 months and conclude in 2025. Among the points raised to justify this restructuring, the most interesting is the fact that each company will thus be able to optimize its financial structure and allocate the capital necessary for its own growth strategy. It goes to show that buying everything and regrouping it within a single group was a big mistake. The CEO and Founder ofEmbracer GroupLars Wingefors, will continue to be the owner of the three companies.
“The board of directors, in collaboration with the executive management, proposes to transform the Embracer group into three separate listed companies. This transformation is an important step in unlocking shareholder value. With this new structure, all three entities will be able to focus on executing their core strategies and leveraging their own strengths, providing more differentiated and distinct equity stories to existing and new shareholders. After careful evaluation of various strategic alternatives, we are confident that this decision will benefit all stakeholders and position us for continued success in the future,” says Kicki Wallje-Lund, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Embracer Group .
“This decision was made with the aim of unlocking the full potential of each team and providing them with their own leadership and strategic direction. This is the start of a new chapter, a chapter of which I intend to continue to be part as an active, committed and supportive shareholder of the three new entities, with an ever-green horizon. This move towards three independent companies reinforces Embracer’s vision of supporting entrepreneurs and creators with a long-term vision, enabling them to continue delivering unforgettable experiences to gamers and fans around the world,” says Lars Wingefors, co-founder and CEO of Embracer Group.
Let’s hope that the many licenses left dormant following various takeovers will finally have a chance to shine in the coming years thanks to this transformation.
If you wish to obtain Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Editionit is currently sold €9.99 at Gamesplanet.
| Alexandre SAMSON (Omega Law) Editor | ||
| Addicted to Assassin’s Creed and Destiny, big fan of RPGs and passionate about video game experiences in general. Reader of comics (DC) and various mangas (One Piece!). Chemist by training and Whovian at heart. | ||
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