Saber Interactive buys itself back from Embracer for $500 million; Gearbox sales loom

Saber Interactive Will get rid of it soon hugger group Thanks to a private investment group buying the company for $500 million.There’s also a new report that the massive company already has a buyer lined up Transmission software.

about Saber Interactive A Bloomberg source familiar with the matter said that after the agreement is signed, the company will become a private company and retain nearly 3,500 employees.

Saber will also continue development on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remaster, which it took over from Aspyr Media in 2022, with Expeditions: Mudwalker Game, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commandos, and Expeditions coming this year. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.

Saber Interactive was acquired by Embracer Group in 2020 for $525 million.

As for Gearbox EntertainmentA report from Kotaku claims that the deal to sell the operating unit is in the final stages. The hugger did not respond when asked for comment. Kotaku was lucky enough to reach out to Gearbox CEO and co-founder Randy Pitchford, who cheerfully answered the question in a very Pitchford-like manner.

Reuters reported in September 2023 that Gearbox was likely to go public after being acquired by Embracer for $1.4 billion a year and seven months ago.

Embracer has gone on an acquisition spree over the past few years, acquiring multiple studios and parent companies.

Founded by Swedish entrepreneur Lars Wingefors and originally called Nordic Games, Embracer Group went through a few changes over the years before acquiring development studios JoWood, The Adventure Company and Dreamcatcher Interactive in 2011. In 2013, the THQ trademark was purchased the following year and renamed THQ Nordic in 2016. It went public in 2016 and changed its name to Embracer Group in 2019.

Since 2018, the company has acquired Koch Media, which owns and operates Deep Silver, Coffee Stain Studios, Dark Horse Media, Gearbox Entertainment (but not the Borderlands IP), Saber Interactive, Middle-earth Enterprises, Perfect World Entertainment, Cryptic Studios, Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and many more. It also acquired Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal and Square Enix Montreal (which was later shut down) from Square Enix, as well as 50 of the latter’s IPs, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief. and The Legacy of Kane.

The company has been undergoing a sweeping restructuring plan since June 2023, leading to layoffs, studio closures and the termination of projects after a $2 billion investment deal with Saudi Arabian company Savvy Games Group fell through.

As of September 2023, Embracer Group had 129 game development studios employing approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries. If you want to know how many mergers and acquisitions have occurred, Wikipedia has compiled a very exhaustive list. To view owned IP, there is also a list of subsidiaries and acquisitions listed here.