It came as a surprise earlier in the month when it was announced that acquisition hungry publisher THQ Nordic would instead be opening a new studio in Slovakia rather than out right purchasing the developer. We learned from the new founding of Nine Rocks Games that the team will be prioritizing its first project centered on the shooter genre, but no further detail entailed from the announcement.
Now catching up to this week, THQ Nordic, or more specifically its parent company Embracer Group has disclosed to have acquired a large developer as of recently: revealing that the firm has settled an acquisition of Saber Interactive for $150 million. “Saber has been on our radar for a very long time because of their deep history of consistently high-quality work, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors tells on the acquisition.
Their ambitious moves towards self-funding projects in recent years have been particularly impressive, especially with World War Z, which sold more than three million units. While Saber will remain a standalone company within Embracer Group, we look forward to collaborating with them to elevate their ability to create and market premier titles.
The American game studio atop of the release for 2019’s World War Z has also shown a great amount of influence following the glowing release of CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3 later on. Even with the parent company acknowledging the success brought by the team as an independent developer, what can be achieved through THQ Nordic surely could open new horizons down the line.
However, with publishers owning game studios alike, there is the possibility that the firm could hinder Saber Interactive from pursing the team’s ambitions concerning upcoming project. But seeing the Embracer Group’s awareness of the developer’s capabilities when already working independently, the company suggests letting the team work as they please.
Regarding current projects in development at Saber Interactive, Embracer Group has yet to clarify if work on the ongoing Killing Floor 2 with Tripwire Interactive will cease as a support developer nor the upcoming Snowrunner being published by Focus Home Interactive.
Source: Embracer Group