Embracer’s press release explains that this acquisition concerns no less than 50 games and licenses from Square Enix’s western catalog, licenses including Tomb Raider), Deus Ex, Thief, or even Legacy of Kain. Embracer intends to pay in cash for this catalog of licenses and take under its wing the three main Western studios of Square Enix, namely Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal, which represent a total of 1,100 employees. To say the least, seeing Square Enix so easily draw a line under much of its Western activity seems like a radical strategic decision to say the least, even if CEO Yosuke Matsuda had not hesitated to let IO Interactive slip away. and its Hitman license in the spring of 2017. We also knew that the misfortune of games like Marvel’s Avengers and to a lesser extent Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy had weakened Square Enix in its ability to respond to the challenge of Western AAAs. similarly difficult to imagine that Yosuke Matsuda would have parted ways so easily with a license like Tomb Raider (88 million games sold), whose next opus is in development with the Unreal Engine 5, or even Deus Ex (12 million games sold). Square Enix’s very good financial results did not suggest any need to sell such assets, even if Square Enix owes most of its economic guarantees to its Japanese mobile games, Final Fantasy 14 or its greatest successes. Japanese, like Final Fantasy 7 Remake recently.Square Enix keeps Just Cause, Life is Strange and OutridersThe day of May 2, 2022 will be a milestone in the history of Square Enix. 13 years after the purchase of Eidos Interactive and licenses such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Legacy of Kain, the publisher therefore chooses to refocus on its Japanese brands and studios. However, the operation does not include all of the Western licenses of Square Enix, which remains in possession of Just Cause, Life is Strange or the recent Outriders. In addition to its Japanese development studios, Square Enix therefore keeps its Square Enix External Studios department and its independent games program Square Enix Collective alive. help the company adapt to the ongoing changes in the global business environment by implementing a more efficient allocation of resources, which will improve business efficiency”. The savings made by the sale of these studios and licenses will also make it possible to finance “the launch of new activities with investments in areas including blockchain, AI and the cloud”, which will not fail to make many people dream. players, including our readership. Embracer believes there will be increasing demand for high-quality content, especially AAA single-player games, over the decade. Embracer’s statement “We are delighted to welcome these studios within the Embracer Group. We are aware of the fantastic licensing, world-class creative talent and reputation for excellence they have demonstrated time and time again over the past decades. It is with great pleasure that we have met with the leadership teams and discussed their future plans so that they can achieve their ambitions and become an important part of Embracer,” comments Lars Wingefors, Co-Founder and CEO of Embracer Group. bracer is gaming’s best-kept secret: a massive, decentralized collection of entrepreneurs that we’re thrilled to be a part of today. It fits perfectly with our ambitions: to create high-quality games, with great people, in a sustainable way, and to evolve our existing franchises in the best possible way. Embracer allows us to forge new partnerships across all mediums to maximize the potential of our franchises and realize our dream of creating extraordinary entertainment,” said Phil Rogers, CEO of Square Enix Americas and Europe. , which is expected to take place between July and September 2022, Embracer will rule over 14,000 employees, including 10,000 developers, at 124 in-house studios.The catalog of Lars Wingefors’ group includes more than 230 games in development, including around 30 major productions. Among them, the next Tomb Raider from Crystal Dynamics but also the AAA games in preparation at Eidos Montreal, which is working on new licenses and on known licenses. Read also | The Tomb Raider saga celebrates its 25th anniversary and its 85 million games sold