Embracer Group continues to buy video game studios, and will be acquiring Crystal Dynamics this year.
Crystal Dynamics, as you likely already know, are the people behind the Tomb Raider games (well, the more recent Tomb Raider games at least). These include the 2013 reboot, the great Rise of the Tomb Raider game, and the more recent Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Getting hold of Crystal Dynamics is part of a whopping $300 million deal which also includes taking control of other video game franchises like Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain and others.
As such, the deal also includes two other studios: Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal, the latter being behind mobile video games such as the classy Hitman GO, while the former are the people behind Deus Ex and Thief.
“We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades”, said Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors in a press release (via PC Gamer).
“It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer”, added Wingefors.
Embracer Group has been on a studio buying spree for years now, buying the likes of Warhorse Studios back in 2018, and others including Saber Interactive, Aspyr Media, and more recently, Beamdog.
After this acquisition, the video game company will add more than one thousand additional employees to its roster, with the Swedish media holding company now having more than 120 studios under its wing.
And paying $300 million US dollars for a franchise like Tomb Raider and its associated studio Crystal Dynamics, plus the other video game IPs and studios does seem like a good deal.
As Embracer itself points out, the Tomb Raider series has sold about 88 million copies to date, while Crystal Dynamics’ new Tomb Raider game will “deliver next-generation storytelling and gameplay experiences” according to Embracer, even if little is known about it except that it will use a next-gen version of the Unreal Engine.
There’s no denying Tomb Raider is one of the best-known franchises in gaming history too, but Embracer is also getting hold of other valuable video game IPs here like Deus Ex and Thief. It’s been a while since we got a new game in either franchise, and as a fan of both I hope Embracer and Eidos Montreal have plans to release new Deus Ex and Thief games soon.
It seems Square Enix was too busy with other projects (like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers game) to bother with Deus Ex or Thief. The Japanese company looks to be shifting gears after confirming its plan to do away with these video game franchises and the studios involved in the sale, and is looking to dive into cloud gaming and blockchain amongst other things.
Square did keep some western studios though, and the people behind Life is Strange, Just Cause and Outriders will remain under its wing.
Nonetheless, if Embracer Group can make the most of this acquisition – which as stated earlier does really seem like a good deal in this age of multibillion acquisitions such as those of Microsoft – then all the better for gamers worldwide.