|OT| Embracer Group's (ex-THQ Nordic AB) acquistion spree | Koch Media renamed to Plaion, Asmodee to Twin Sails

[prudis]

THQ Nordic has acquired Piranha Bytes, the studio behind the Gothic, Risen, and Elex series, the company announced.
The acquisition includes the development studio and all intellectual property rights. THQ Nordic and Piranha Bytes have agreed upon not disclosing the purchase price, but stated, “the purchase price equals c. three years of what management’s estimated royalty payments to Piranha for upcoming titles would have been, if the acquisition had not occurred.”
Piranha Bytes will remain an independent game development studio under the newly formed entity Piranha Bytes GmbH. The team will continue to focus on game development and have “full creative freedom in doing so,” whereas THQ Nordic will act as the studio’s publisher. The studio will continue to be led by CEO Michael Ruve and head of games Bjorn Pankratz, and all active owners will remain in their current roles.

Lars Wingefors, Group-CEO THQ Nordic AB

“Piranha Bytes is one of the most iconic german game studios and the creators of RPG´s Gothic, Risen and, more recently, Elex. The three strong IPs have proven successful and will be great additions to our portfolio. We look forward bringing Piranha team into the family which has received legendary status across the RPG community as their fan base cherishes their current games and eagerly anticipates their new titles in the future.”​

Michael Ruve, CEO Piranha Bytes

“We have a successful and long-standing relationship with THQ Nordic and are very excited to join the group. THQ Nordic has unparalleled experience and capabilities in games development and publishing, and we are convinced they are the perfect partner to support Piranha in taking the studio to the next level. We see a unique opportunity to continue to develop great, memorable and impactful RPG games, now being part of the THQ Nordic family.”​

THQ Nordic acquires Piranha Bytes

THQ Nordic has acquired Piranha Bytes, the studio behind the Gothic, Risen, and Elex series, the company announced.

gematsu.com

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THQ Nordic has signed with Metro series developer 4A Games for an “upcoming, still undisclosed, AAA project,” the company announced.
The company also mentioned that its THQ Nordic, Deep Silver, and Coffee Stain Studios groups currently have a collective 80 games in development, 48 of which are currently unannounced.

THQ Nordic signs unannounced AAA title by 4A Games - Gematsu

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Well shit, if PB go EGS exclusive i will most certainly cry salty tears for the year i can't play their games.
Sorry though, much as i love PB i'm not supporting EGS.

 

[Ge0force]

Yeah let's hope THQ Nordic doesn't make any more exclusivity deals with Epic. They have spoken out against these deals, but as seen with Take Two, that doesn't mean anything.

 

[KainXVIII]

THQ Nordic has signed with Metro series developer 4A Games for an “upcoming, still undisclosed, AAA project,” the company

So much for MS acquisition

 

[Rosenkrantz]

80 titles in development? THQ goes under in 3, 2, 1...

Would be awful to see PB games exclusive to the EGS, but I assume a year is enough time to fix most of the bugs, so that's a plus.

 

[Deleted member 113]

Ah, those bags of Epic Games dollars working for THQ Nordic.

 

[sk2k]

Noooooooooooo. JoWood was the shitty publisher responsible for PB's Gothic 3. THQ Nordic was more or less formed out of JoWood. I feel bad for PB

 

[Deleted member 113]

Noooooooooooo. JoWood was the shitty publisher responsible for PB's Gothic 3. THQ Nordic is formed out of JoWood. Yeah.

To be fair, the current THQ Nordic has little to do with JoWood.
The company bought assets and games from JoWood, but doesn't really share staff or management.

 

[sk2k]

To be fair, the current THQ Nordic has little to do with JoWood.
The company bought assets and games from JoWood, but doesn't really share staff or management.

THQ Nordic (formerly known as Nordic Games) took over also parts of the staff/workforce from JoWooD.

 

[prudis]

hmmm , surprised to see new title by Warhorse mentioned , but well final DLC for KCD is nextweek and its ending was obvious sequel bait

 

[Milena]

Terrible news, I've bought pretty much everything from PB close to release, but I don't want to support THQ Nordic anymore

 

[prudis]

Milena well Deep Silver was pretty much always PB's publishing parnter so this is not really a surprise

 

[InquisitorAles]

So much for MS acquisition

MS approached them, but MS approached many studios in the last year and having those talks behind the scene never automatically means that deal will pass any further. And I've mentioned before that it was not just MS, but THQ/Deep Silver as well who were interested in acquiring 4A, so I guess THQ was more convincing and managed to at least secure rights on publishing their next game. It's interesting how it will end up regardless, but I highly doubt that 4A will stay independent for long.

 

[lashman]

but I highly doubt that 4A will stay independent for long.

as long as it's not Sony or Google buying them - i'm good ....

(what i'm saying is - i don't want their games to become console/streaming/whatever exclusive)

 

[Taborcarn]

Ugh THQ Nordic is in charge of Wasteland 3 and Iron Harvest? That sucks, I was looking forward to those. Oh well, I have plenty games from my backlog still to play.

 

[prudis]

Ugh THQ Nordic is in charge of Wasteland 3 and Iron Harvest?

iirc just retail and console publishing , Steam/GoG is selfpublished

 

[Taborcarn]

iirc just retail and console publishing , Steam/GoG is selfpublished

Oh ok, well that's better news then. I already have Steam filters set to block THQN games so I wouldn't have even seen them otherwise.

 

[lashman]

Ugh THQ Nordic is in charge of Wasteland 3 and Iron Harvest? That sucks, I was looking forward to those. Oh well, I have plenty games from my backlog still to play.

if it makes you feel better - Iron Harvest will probably be egsclusive anyway

 

[arts&crafts]

Damn, I love PB. Do not trust Nordic anymore after EGS and the other stuff.

 

[Taborcarn]

if it makes you feel better - Iron Harvest will probably be egsclusive anyway

No. Why no, that doesn't make me feel better at all.

 

[gabbo]

Ive never sunk any time into a PB game, beyond the opening 30 minutes of Risen. If this is a good move for them, great. Hopefully more polish will come of this.
Id like to know some info on the 40+ under wraps games and not hear "egs exclusive" for them if possible.

 

[unknownhero]

There's just one thing I want to know, when are we gonna hear from volition? I need my saints row fix, i want it to be like 2 with 3's controls.

 

[lashman]

No. Why no, that doesn't make me feel better at all.

oops

well, either way - i'm afraid it will be ... i remember seeing a tweet or something suggesting that sorry

There's just one thing I want to know, when are we gonna hear from volition? I need my saints row fix, i want it to be like 2 with 3's controls.

yeah ... we need SR5

 

[MJunioR]

Hm, to be quite honest, after Gat out of Hell and Agents of Mayhem, unless the next Saints Row takes a big step back to SR2's style and atmosphere I probably won't be getting it until it gets pretty cheap on a HB or Steam Sale.

Then there's Destroy All Humans. If we get a DAH 1 / 2 remaster on Steam, I'd buy that day one. If they decide to make it an EGS exclusive for whatever reason, then it's another one to the ignore list. I don't have any reason to believe that this THQ can get a new DAH game right, so I won't even think about it.

Timesplitters and Carmageddon are games that I'm barely somewhat interested, but considering that THQ usually uses a decent regional pricing I might buy them day one, on Steam, if it's a good port and all. or maybe I buy it on a 20% off sale, something like that.

That said, out of 80 titles, THQ hasn't a single one that I'm really hyped for.

 

[unknownhero]

Hm, to be quite honest, after Gat out of Hell and Agents of Mayhem, unless the next Saints Row takes a big step back to SR2's style and atmosphere I probably won't be getting it until it gets pretty cheap on a HB or Steam Sale.

Forgive the speculation and the off topic nature but there's something interesting that IdolNinja, Volition's CM, tweeted.


this could mean a ton of things but it's theorized that Volition found the SR2 source code. If so then oh boy!

 

[Spamlynguist]

Forgive the speculation and the off topic nature but there's something interesting that IdolNinja, Volition's CM, tweeted.


this could mean a ton of things but it's theorized that Volition found the SR2 source code. If so then oh boy!

 

[MJunioR]

Forgive the speculation and the off topic nature but there's something interesting that IdolNinja, Volition's CM, tweeted.


this could mean a ton of things but it's theorized that Volition found the SR2 source code. If so then oh boy!

Oh shit, if that's true and a SR2 remaster is a possibility then Volition has my attention. SR2, with decent performance, working co-op, Steam Cloud, Achievements and workshop support is all I could ever ask from them.

 

[gabbo]

Forgive the speculation and the off topic nature but there's something interesting that IdolNinja, Volition's CM, tweeted.


this could mean a ton of things but it's theorized that Volition found the SR2 source code. If so then oh boy!

they lost the source code? Isn't the game only around 10-12 years old?

 

[unknownhero]

they lost the source code? Isn't the game only around 10-12 years old?

 

[gabbo]

Oh, thank you for the heads up. Well if that's the case, that'd be great. SR2 was buggy as fuck last I remember. Fun, but omg buggy

 

[prudis]

current projects:

Announced (without Saber)

 

[prudis]

IP Reshuffle between Koch and Nordic

 

[unknownhero]

that's kind of a shitty trade imo

 

[prudis]

as i said in the stean thread

depends , ultimately its just internal reshuffle between subsidiaries of Embracer group .
You have to look ar how both Nordic and DeepSilver/Koch operates and what studios each of them has.

So lets look at this by IP: (my opinions)

• Painkiller to Koch => could be cool , DS has more FPS and FPS capable studios or connections
• Red Faction to Koch => good news, Volition is subsidiary of DS and now they gonna have direct access of their old IP
• Sacred to Nordic => great nows looking at how Nordic handles Titan Quest IP and if you remember how DS fucked over this IP
• Risen to Nordic => great news becazse Piranhas are now subsidiary of Nordic alongside Gothic and Elex IP , so just completing their portfolio under single roof
• Rush to Berlin to Nordic => this might be ideal candidate for remaster or at least rerelease , which are Nodic better at
• Second Sight to Nordic => this one confuses me , Its ex FreeRadiacal IP and these devs are now under DS as Dambuster ... might be just clearing the IP for rerelease while Dambuster works with S. Ellis on Timesplitters project
• Singles to Nordic => i guess dont really fit the DS portfolio

some of it makes absolute sense (RF, Rise or Sacred) and is good news , :-D

 

[Aelphaeis Mangarae]

It's worth noting that we know of the existence of a Red Faction project. A year or two ago, Red Faction: Evolution leaked via Nvidia. Unknown who is developing it. Assuming the project didn't get canned, it's being published by Deep Silver now, which would imply a bigger budget.

 

[prudis]

oh i totally forgot about that

 

[prudis]

a nother one

 

[prudis]

With the acquisition of Saber Interactive, the Group currently has over 118 games under development including 69 still yet to be announced titles.

We expect substantial growth in the current financial year driven by a large number of high quality releases, for which we are excited to the reception among gamers. We expect the value of completed games will more than doubles from SEK 589 million to SEK 1,200-1,400 in the current financial year ending March 31, 2021. This growth will be underpinned by recent and upcoming new game releases such as Biomutant, Chorus, Deep Rock Galactic, Destroy all Humans!, Iron Harvest, MotoGP 20, Ride 4, Snowrunner, Wasteland 3, WWE2K Battlegrounds (in collaboration with 2K) and a host of other titles that have not yet started their marketing campaigns. On top of this, we expected a solid performance from our back catalog supported by strong demand for many of our beloved franchises, including Darksiders, Dead Island, ELEX, Goat Simulator, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Metro, Monster Energy Supercross, MX vs ATV, Remnant: From the Ashes, Satisfactory, Saints Row, Wreckfest and World War Z, among others.

Looking into the next financial year ending March 31 2022, we expect continued organic growth driven by further increase in the value of completed games including the first AAA games releases since Metro Exodus. From this year on we expect to have AAA releases every year.

To drive further organic growth in the years ahead, many talented people across all our operating units are continuously scouting for new attractive game development projects.

Embracer Group publishes Full Year Report and Q4, January-March 2020: OPERATIONAL EBIT INCREASED 35% TO SEK 1,033 M FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR - Embracer

https://embracer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Embracer-Group-AB-publ-Full-Year-report-FQ4-FY19-20.pdf

 

[Spamlynguist]

Dead Island 2 is still a thing? Well, colour me surprised

 

[Pommes]

Hmph.... The Embracer Group embraces more and more games.
Buying games gets harder and harder for someone like me who tries to avoid their games

 

[prudis]

THQ Nordic parent Embracer Group has acquired eight new studios: 4A Games, DECA Games, New World Interactive, Palindrome Interactive, Pow Wow Entertainment, Sola Media, Rare Earth Games, and Vermila Studios.

4A Games
4A Games is the developer behind the Metro franchise and a long-term development partner to Embracer Group-owned publisher Deep Silver. The developer and its team of over 150 staff across its two studios in Malta and Ukraine join Embracer Group through its Saber Interactive label.

4A Games will operate as an independent studio under Saber Interactive, strengthening Saber Interactive’s development capabilities in Ukraine, and are currently collaborating on a brand-new project that “combines the AAA production values of 4A Games’ combined engine and technology know-how, and Saber Interactive’s experience on multiplayer and live operations.” 4A Games also began development on a brand new AAA intellectual property “that leverages its decade of experience on developing the Metro series.”

DECA Games
DECA Games is a mobile asset care and live operations expert within the free-to-play games segment. Its profitable and scalable free-to-play and live operations model, along with its expertise in the mobile space, fuel the ambition to build a diversified portfolio of established mobile intellectual properties, while utilizing current properties on mobile platforms and experimenting with free-to-play mechanics.

New World Interactive
New World Interactive is the developer behind the Insurgency franchise. The developer and its team of approximately 40 staff in Denver, Colorado join Embracer Group through its Saber Interactive label.

New World Interactive will operate as an independent studio under Saber Interactive, and is currently working on an unannounced, new, owned intellectual property. It has also partnered with Saber Interactive for the console versions of Insurgency: Sandstorm expected to be released in the first half of 2021.

Palindrome Interactive
Palindrome Interactive is the developer behind the upcoming strategy game Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars. The developer and its team of 14 staff in Skovde, Sweden join Embracer Group through its Amplifier Game Invest label. Amplifier Game Invest partially owned Palindrome Interactive since 2017, but has now purchased the remaining 50 percent of shares in the company.

Pow Wow Entertainment
Pow Wow Entertainment is the developer behind the multiplayer action game Misbits. The developer and its team of 20 staff in Vienna, Austria join Embracer Group through its THQ Nordic label.

Pow Wow Entertainment is currently working on two unannounced games: one in an existing THQ Nordic-owned franchise and the other a roguelike multiplayer platformer set in a constantly changing world.

Sola Media
Sola Media is a sales agent of international film-and TV-rights, distributing children and family films across the globe. The company joins Embracer Group through its Koch Film label.

Rare Earth Games
Rare Earth Games is a developer formed of “highly experienced industry veterans” focused on action-based multiplayer games for consoles, PC, and cloud services. The Vienna, Austria-based developer joins Embracer Group through its Amplifier Game Invest label.

Vermila Studios
Vermila Studios is the developer behind the upcoming first-person horror adventure game Crisol: Theater of Idols. The developer and its team of 10 staff in Madrid, Spain join Embracer Group through its Amplifier Game Invest label.

 

[Ge0force]

Not good. The only plus is that the Metro series is no longer published by Deep Silver (which is high on my blacklist), but Saber is completely in bed with Epic so I'm not sure this is much better.

 

[Wok]

I have never played any of the games previously developed by these studios, so I have a priori zero interest in any of their future products.

 

[lashman]

Not good. The only plus is that the Metro series is no longer published by Deep Silver (which is high on my blacklist), but Saber is completely in bed with Epic so I'm not sure this is much better.

yeah, definitely bad news

 

[Ge0force]

I have never played any of the games previously developed by these studios, so I have a priori zero interest in any of their future products.

Metro 2033 is still very fun to play imo.

 

[fantomena]

Goddammit. I love the games 4A games have made a lot. The Metro series is really good and even their VR game Artika was decent as it was one of the first big VR titles for the Rift.

 

[Mivey]

I still believe Nordic /THQ/ Embracer/whatever is some kind of videogame studio pyramid scheme, where they use funds of their games to keep buy new studios, without ever generating profit. I just can't see how this kind of expansion can be in any way sustainable.

 

[prudis]

Current embracer structure and their studios:

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I still believe Nordic /THQ/ Embracer/whatever is some kind of videogame studio pyramid scheme, where they use funds of their games to keep buy new studios, without ever generating profit. I just can't see how this kind of expansion can be in any way sustainable.

well if you look in the press release they sure are generating profits :-D

 

[Dekunator]

THQ Nordic is too powerful

 

[Pommes]

I think this news fits right into this thread:

Koch Media opens publishing offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong

Koch Media is making strides into Asia, by opening two new publishing offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Both offices will…

www.gamesindustry.biz