Although many gamers may not be familiar with Embracer Group, it is an important figure in the gaming industry. The Swedish company was founded in 2011, and it originally went by the name Nordic Games. Over the years, Embracer Group has grown evermore larger through its constant acquisitions of several gaming companies, allowing it to extend its reach deep into gaming.
Currently, Embracer is composed of 10 operative groups, with a total of over a hundred internal studios between them. That number has only been growing thanks to Embracer's continued acquisition of notable names such as Dark Horse Media, which is Dark Horse Comic's parent company. While most of the gaming world may have been focused on Microsoft and Sony's power consolidation, Embracer proves that there are plenty more players who are not ready to be dwarfed.
Embracer's 10 Groups​​​​​​
Embracer's 10 groups are spread around the world, and their specialties stretch beyond video gaming to include comics, television, film, and tabletop gaming. As of 2022, Embracer's 10 groups are as follows:
1. THQ Nordic
One of Embracer's biggest subsidiaries is THQ Nordic. It was founded in 2011 as part of Nordic Games, and it also has its fair share of subsidiaries. Popular franchises associated with THQ Nordic include Wreckfest, Biomutant, and Destroy All Humans!, to name but a few.
2. Saber Interactive
Saber Interactive, a video game development company based in Florida, was acquired by Embracer in 2020 for $525 million. Many smaller studios exist under it, and it has developed several games since it was founded in 2001, including World War Z, WWE 2K Battlegrounds, and Snowrunner.
3. Koch Media
Koch Media stretches beyond gaming, as it encompasses Koch Films as well. It is also the parent company of Flying Wild Hog, the Polish developer of Trek to Yomi, a recently released side-scroller set in Japan. Koch Media was also the publisher for franchises like Metro and Saints Row. In 2018, the company was acquired by Embracer.
4. Gearbox Entertainment
Gearbox Entertainment joined Embracer in 2021, in an acquisition that was worth up to $1.3 billion. The acquisition vastly expanded Embracer's catalog, as Gearbox franchises include the likes of Borderlands and Brothers in Arms.
5. DECA Games
Embracer has a presence in Germany thanks to DECA Games, which was acquired in 2020. The studio focuses on free-to-play mobile games.
6. Coffee Stain Holding
Based in Sweden, Coffee Stain Holding is the parent company of Coffee Stain Studios, which developed Satisfactory and the eccentric open-world game Goat Simulator. The company was acquired by Embracer in 2018 for almost $35 million.
7. Amplifier Game Invest
Amplifier Game Invest is a Swedish company that, as its name suggests, invests in start-up teams and helps them achieve their goals.
8. Dark Horse Media
Gamers who dare to dig deeper into fandoms will be familiar with Dark Horse Media, as Dark Horse Comics is a popular comic book publisher, often publishing comic book adaptations of video games. Dark Horse Media also produces films and television shows through Dark Horse Entertainment, including The Mask, Resident Alien, and The Umbrella Academy.
9. Asmodee
Asmodee is a French company that produces card games, board games, and role-playing games. Embracer managed to secure the French company in 2022 for a whopping $3.1 billion.
10. Easybrain
Easybrain is a mobile game developer that was founded in 2016. Simple yet addictive games such as Sudoku, Pixel Art, and Jigsaw Puzzles have helped it reach more than one billion downloads.
It should be noted that Embracer's reach is not limited to these 10 groups; as of May 2022, Embracer also owns $300 million worth of assets in Square Enix Europe, bringing the Eidos-Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal studios (as well as IPs such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex) under Embracer's umbrella. Embracer continually expands its global reach, and already its influence appears to be unavoidable within gaming. Whether the trend of power consolidation from gaming giants impacts gaming positively or negatively has yet to be seen.