In recent months, more and more publishers and multinationals in the videogame sector have tried to expand by acquiring new software houses and studios, as for example happened with Zenimax e Bethesda that a few months ago they joined the Xbox Gaming Studios for the 'modest' figure of 7.5 billion dollars. In the last few hours, the Swedish holding Embracer Group (previously known as THQ Nordic and Nordic Games Publishing) confirmed a move similar to that of Microsoft, acquiring 12 new studios within their group, further increasing their relevance in the sector.
Among the acquired development teams we find above all Zen Studio, who in recent years created the Pinball FX series, Flying Wild Hogs, the developers of Shadow Warrior and Shadow Warrior 2, and also 34BigThings, known for their racing game Redout, which is in effect a spiritual sequel to Wipeout. Below are all the studios that have become part of the Embracer Group:
- Thinking Ape Entertainment
- Nimble Giant Entertainment
- Mad head games
- Snapshot Games
- 34BigThings
- Zen Studio
- IUGO Mobile Entertainment
- Purple lamp studios
- Quantic Lab
- Coffee Stain North
- Flying Wild Hog
- Silent Games
In addition to these twelve teams, the holding has secured exclusivity for the services of Sandbox Strategies, a New York City-based agency specializing in public relations and influencer relations on social networks. After the small purchases of the past months by THQ Nordic, among which we remember Tarsier Studios, the developers of Little Nightmares 2, and Saber, who created the Nintendo Switch port of The Witcher 3, this seems like a huge step in the right direction for the Swedish publisher. Thanks to these new acquisitions, Embracer Group has over 5000 employees divided into very promising teams that could certainly bring this holding among the most important publishers in the videogame market in the coming years.
