Embracer Group has received early payment for the divestment of Saber Interactive. The Swedish company also announced that the termination of the option for the Beacon Interactive to acquire two more studios.
Metro Exodus
Beacon Interactive, controlled by Saber co-founder Matthew Karch, paid Embracer Group $168.4 million for the assets once owned by the SnowRunner maker. The remaining $28.1 million will be paid later in 2024 and 2025, Embracer said in a press release on September 13.
Although Beacon had the option to additionally acquire 4A Games and Zen Studios, the studios will remain within Embracer Group. “They will be important building blocks in our continued journey,” CEO Lars Wingefors said in a statement, adding that 4A Games and Zen Studios are currently working on unannounced AAA games.
Embracer announced the divestment of Saber Interactive in March. It was part of its cost-cutting restructuring program, which also included the sale of Gearbox to Take-Two for $460 million, studio closures, and mass layoffs (1,583 jobs were cut during the restructuring).
It is unclear why Saber decided not to buy 4A Games and Zen Studios, but the previously disclosed terms implied that the studios’ price would be significantly higher than their current net book value of SEK 829 million ($80 million). Not to mention that Embracer would still retain all publishing rights to the Metro franchise through its subsidiary Plaion.
Under the deal, Saber Interactive (through Beacon) has already received several studios with a total headcount of nearly 3,000 people. The list includes 3D Realms, Nimble Giant, New World Interactive, Fractured Byte, Digic, Slipgate, Sanbox Strategies, and Mad Head Games. In addition, the company obtained certain proprietary engine tech and tools 38 games in development.
Saber’s return to the independent path has been marked by the successful launch of Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2. The game has already sold over 2 million copies globally, receiving positive reviews and peaking at over 225k concurrent players on Steam alone.
Right now, Saber Interactive is working on games such as Jurassic Park: Survival, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, A Quite Place: The Road Ahead, and RoadCraft.