Embracer Group is lightening its load of IPs and studios after facing mass layoffs last year and cancelling 15 projects. According to a new report, the company is reportedly selling Saber Interactive for around $500 million which includes the in-development Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake. A group of private investors is said to be purchasing the studio which would give them access to all of Saber’s properties as well as the KOTOR Remake.
Bloomberg’s sources claim that Saber Interactive is being sold to an unknown group of private investors, which will result in the studio becoming a privately owned company consisting of 3,500 employees across the world. The deal will also ensure that Saber continues to work on the Star Wars: KOTOR Remake, which has had a rocky development over the past few years. The game was initially announced as a timed PS5 exclusive in development at Aspyr Media and Sony Interactive Entertainment before switching hands to Saber.
Embracer Group were quick to grab IPs and developers a few years ago, notably Square Enix’s former Western studios Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics – a deal which also gave them the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex intellectual properties, among others. However, Embracer hit Eidos Montreal with layoffs earlier this year, resulting in the cancellation of a new Deus Ex game and leaving the future of the studio up in the air.
Potentially discovering that it can’t financially sustain such a large work force and collection of studios, Embracer is now making decisions that aim to shed loads of IPs, developers and studios, either through selling them off or laying off masses of employees.
Hopefully this sale will allow Saber Interactive to continue work on the Star Wars: KOTOR Remake as, according to Disney, it’s still a highly demanded title among the gaming community.
Source: Bloomberg
