When it was announced that Microsoft was going to be acquiring Activision-Blizzard, I remember a lot of discussion surrounding how many gaming studios Microsoft would have after the deal went through. Within this discussion, there were a few people who stated that Microsoft would still pale compared to the Embracer Group. As you can imagine, I was quite surprised that there was such a massive publisher of games that I was unfamiliar with. However, upon researching the subject, it quickly became apparent why I had not heard of them. Therefore, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the Embracer Group and why I consider them to be the hidden giant of video gaming.
Let’s start with the origins of the Embracer Group. Originally starting as a Swedish game retailer before expanding into game publishing, the success of We Sing for the Nintendo Wii allowed the company, at that point called Nordic Games Publishing, to begin their rapid expansion. The first of their now numerous acquisitions began in 2011 when JoWooD Entertainment declared bankruptcy and were bought by Nordic Games. This was followed up in 2013 when Nordic Games acquired the vast majority of THQ, another game publisher who had declared bankruptcy. Interestingly, they rebranded years later as THQ Nordic before finally settling on the name Embracer Group in 2019.
Looking at the list of subsidiaries that the Embracer Group currently owns is a real eye-opening experience of how large they truly are. Currently, the Embracer Group is broken up into 11 groups with these being Amplifier Game Invest, Asmodee, Coffee Stain Holding, Dark Horse Media, DECA Games, Easybrain, Embracer Freemode, Gearbox Entertainment, Plaion, Saber Interactive and THQ Nordic. While the majority of these focus specifically on video games, it’s worth noting that a few of them do specialise in other areas such as Dark Horse Media which works both as a comics publisher as well as a film and television production company or Asmodee which not only produces some video games but primarily develops and publishes tabletop games.
As for why I was unaware of the staggering size of this company, I point my finger at these groups. You see, when you buy a game through Steam, on consoles or even physically, the branding only states these groups with little to no mention of the Embracer Group itself. Without doing some research, albeit cursory research, you probably wouldn’t even know that these companies had anything to do with one another. What this tends to result in is total shock and surprise when people learn how truly massive the Embracer Group is.
It also doesn’t seem like the Embracer Group acquisition spree is going to slow down any time soon. They’ve recently announced that they’re acquiring Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal which will transfer numerous IP such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and more. Additionally, the Embracer Group have also recently acquired a smattering of new companies with arguably the most notable being Middle-Earth Enterprises, the company responsible for licensing The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
The enormous size and rapid growth of the Embracer Group can be quite shocking, particularly with some acquisitions such as Middle-Earth Enterprises and Dark Horse Media, and I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on them in the future. Let me know your thoughts on the Embracer Group and whether you also consider them to be the hidden giant of video gaming, whether you had heard of the Embracer Group before, your thoughts on their numerous acquisitions and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.