Acquisitions in the gaming industry have significantly risen in recent times thanks in part to the likes of Microsoft, Sony, Embracer Group, and others. One resulting consequence of these acquisitions is the uncertainty it brings to game projects in development by the studios involved. Recently, this sense of uncertainty has been one of the biggest areas of concern for some of Embracer Group's IPs. Now, it appears that fans can expect more interesting updates with regard to Embracer's recently acquired IPs.
Since 2020, Embracer Group has been aggressive with its acquisitions, bringing 62 entities under its wing by late 2021. A few weeks back, Embracer announced that it will be acquiring Eidos, Square Enix Montreal, and Crystal Dynamics in a $300 million deal. This also includes a number of renowned IPs such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain. While Embracer is yet to announce specific plans for some of these projects, a recent announcement hints at the company's general direction with these IPs.
In the Embracer Group's latest earnings report, Group CEO Lars Wingefors states that following the positive response over its $300 million deal with Square Enix, the company sees potential for sequels, remakes, remasters, as well as spinoffs with regard to the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain IPs. He further added that the Square Enix deal will likely close during the July - September period. This could mean fans of these franchises may get more updates in the coming months. Though time will tell for certain.
Embracer's $300 million deal has already met with questions about what it means for some of Square Enix's existing projects. For instance, the acquisition of Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics has left the future of Marvel's Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy titles uncertain. On the other hand, the CEO's comments about the Square Enix IPs indicate that some of these franchises like Deus Ex may come back to the fray. After all, Crystal Dynamics has already announced that it's working on the next entry to the Tomb Raider series.
Of course, Embracer Group also has other ambitious projects lined up. In the same earnings report, the company has mentioned that fans of the much-anticipated Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake will get more updates about the title in the coming months. Now that Embracer has added more notable IPs to the catalog following the Square Enix deal, it will be interesting to see how much further its ambitions will grow.
Source: Embracer Group