The entertainment industry, and particularly the video game industry, has seen major changes over the past few years, especially recently. Studios and licenses change hands and are eventually managed by a small handful of companies. Giants that end up controlling a large part of the productions, as in the case of Embracer, which has just again announced the acquisition of several studios and full rights to Tolkien’s works.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
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The giant in the making
Embracer Group is a Swedish company that has been making headlines for a few months, notably by acquiring several studios and licenses from Square Enix such as Eidos, Eidos Montreal or Square Enix Montreal for the modest sum of 300 million dollars.
It seems that the future giant doesn’t want to stop there, as the company has just announced a major takeover for 774 million euros with the purchase of Middle-earth Enterprises. Which implies that Embracer now owns the rights to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit. This includes the rights to other Middle-earth literary works managed by the Tolkien Estate and HarperCollins.
The Embracer Group therefore has full control over video games related to Middle-earth, but also over films, series and all derivative products. The company says it intends to explore other films based on iconic characters from JRR Tolkien’s literary work. Think of the Silmarillion, which hasn’t really been exhausted, and which remains an unfinished work by Tolkien, even if it contains an incredible source of customization.
Photo credit: Nacon
The release doesn’t end there, as Embracer is reportedly close to completing a major acquisition that the company says would be the third or fourth-biggest deal in the video game industry. Without revealing more, they have definitely strengthened their position as publishers and developers by acquiring several other studios such as Limited Run Games, known to collectors, Tuxedo Labs, Tripwire Interactive, Bitwave Games, Tatsujin, the the first Japanese becomes Embracer’s studio, as well as an accessory manufacturer with Gioteck, a brand of karaoke machines alongside Singtrix.
Embracer Group is poised to become one of the biggest giants in the video game and perhaps entertainment industry. It is therefore certain that we will hear more from them in the coming weeks and months.