The Embracer Group – Deep Silver, Gearbox, THQ etc – have delved in to their seemingly bottomless pockets once more and purchased Perfect World Entertainment, who in turn own Cryptic Studios, creators of Neverwinter and Star Trek Online.
The deal will see Cryptic become part of Gearbox, but they will remain an independent studio within. Hob, the Torchlight franchise and Remnant: From the Ashes are just a few of the games which now fall under the mighty Embracer Group banner, with a new game set for launch next year and another five to be released before the end of 2024.
“It’s an honor for us to welcome this talented group of individuals into the Gearbox Entertainment family. Gearbox will invest into the future of Cryptic as an independent, dynamic studio that is passionate about MMOs. That commitment is paired with an exciting new partnership that will emerge as the talented Perfect World publishing team and their promising line up of future games will become supported and bolstered by the capability and strength of the Gearbox Publishing team,” said Randy Pitchford, founder of Gearbox Entertainment Company
“It has been an amazing journey being a part of Perfect World, and we thank them for all of their support throughout the years. PWE is delighted to become a part of the Embracer family, and join Gearbox on their mission to entertain the world. We are eager to apply our vast experience and talents to benefit both shareholders and customers around the world,” commented Yoon Im, CEO of PWE.
In August Embracer snapped up eight more studios. The most notable of these is 3D Realms, developers of the Duke Nukem games, and Ghost Ship Games, developers of Deep Rock Galactic. The number of studios in the Embracer Group is now over eighty eighty, including Gearbox, Tarsier, Volition, and Free Radical. The number of IPs owned by the group is now estimated at a billionty-million, or thereabouts.
UPDATE: It has just been announced that Embracer have also purchased Dark Horse Media, meaning they now own The Mask, Time Cop, Father’s Day, and 300 other IPs. They state this is an “opportunity to cross-fertilise IP and strengthen licensing partnerships across PC, console, VR and mobile” so expect a bunch of games based on Dark Horse IPs.
Source: Press release
