Embracer Group AB (formerly Nordic Games Licensing AB and THQ Nordic AB) is a Swedish video game and media holding company based in Karlstad. The company comprises six operative groups: CDE Entertainment, Dark Horse Media, Deca Games, Freemode, Plaion and THQ Nordic.
Embracer Group was established as Nordic Games Licensing within Nordic Games Group in 2011. The latter had previously purchased assets from the bankrupt publisher JoWooD and established Nordic Games GmbH (a subsidiary of Nordic Games Licensing) to manage them. Nordic Games Licensing continued to purchase intellectual property from defunct publishers, notably several THQ products in 2013, followed by the "THQ" trademark in 2014. In August 2016, Nordic Games Licensing and Nordic Games GmbH changed their names to THQ Nordic. The parent company became a public company in 2016 and changed its name to Embracer Group in 2019. Until 2023, Embracer Group rapidly grew through major acquisitions and investments. After a US$2 billion investment unexpectedly fell through, the company was more than US$2 billion in debt and began closing and selling multiple studios and while laying off people at others.
On 22 April 2024, Embracer Group announced its intention to transform into three standalone publicly listed entities on Nasdaq Stockholm within the next two years: a board game segment under the Asmodee group, an indie games segment under Coffee Stain Group, and a segment to manage its library of licensed intellectual properties including that of Tolkien's Middle-earth under Fellowship Entertainment,[1] all three entities will be under the new holding company Embracer AB.[2]
History
The original Nordic Games as video game retailer (1990s–2004)
The Swedish entrepreneur Lars Wingefors (born 1977[3]) started several sales businesses during his teenage years, including the second-hand comic book seller LW Comics at age 13, which made close to SEK300,000 annually. At age 16, Wingefors founded Nordic Games to sell used video games by mail order;[4] which generated SEK5 million in revenue in this first year. With growing income post 1994, Nordic Games was turned into a retail chain and opened seven locations across Sweden. In 1998, the company acquired Spel- & Tele shopen, a store in Linköping that Pelle Lundborg had opened at age 16 in 1994.[5]
Towards the end of the 1990s, Nordic Games was suffering from a poor corporate structure. Although Wingefors was asked to either seek new partners or bring in venture capital, he opted to sell the company to Gameplay Stockholm, the Swedish subsidiary of Europe-wide retailer Gameplay.com. In March 2000 for stock valued at GB£5.96 million, with Wingefors becoming part of the European management.[4] Under Gameplay.com, Nordic Games failed to generate much revenue. It tried to establish mobile game, digital distribution and cable TV box businesses, all of which did not gain traction. When the dot-com bubble burst, Gameplay.com faced financial issues, and Nordic Games was sold back to Wingefors in May 2001 for a symbolic sum of SEK1. Wingefors brought in venture capitalists and reformed the company to only sell newly released games, but the company faced strong competition and finally filed for bankruptcy in 2004.
The new Nordic Games as video game publisher (2004–2011)
Wingefors invested the money he had left into a new limited company and, together with potential customers acting as investors, reformed Nordic Games under the name Game Outlet Europe. The new company saw success with purchasing unsold inventory from larger video game companies (such as Electronic Arts), repackaging them on pallets in its Karlstad headquarters, and selling them on the international market and through other retail chains, including Jula, Coop, and ICA. In December 2008, Nordic Games Publishing was established as the video game publishing subsidiary of Game Outlet Europe. The subsidiary started out with seven people, including primary shareholder Wingefors, based in Karlstad, and chief executive officer Lundborg, who had since moved to Málaga with his wife. Nik Blower in London was added to the management team in February 2010.
The idea behind Nordic Games Publishing was to invest in the development of games that would fill gaps in the video game market. Wingefors and Lundborg had noticed that the line-up of games for Nintendo platforms was lacking karaoke games similar to SingStar, which was exclusive to PlayStation consoles. Based on 100-page requirement documents from Nintendo, which included that the game's microphones should be produced by Logitech, and four months of research at a karaoke bar in Watford, England, Nordic Games Publishing assembled a song list for a prospective game and started producing what would later become We Sing. Around this time, Nordic Games Publishing also released Dance Party Club Hits, a dance game that came bundled with a dancing mat. In 2009, Nordic Games Publishing had a turnover of SEK50 million, of which 75% were accounted for by sales of We Sing. For 2010, the company projected a turnover of SEK200 million, while at the same time, Lundborg was looking for new investors to make the company independent of Game Outlet Europe. By March 2011, Nordic Games Holding had been established as a holding company, with Game Outlet Europe and Nordic Games Publishing aligned as its subsidiaries.
Nordic Games as holding for acquisitions and expansion (2011–2018)
In June 2011, Nordic Games Holding acquired the assets of the insolvent publisher JoWooD and its subsidiaries. The acquired assets were transferred to Nordic Games GmbH, a newly established subsidiary office in Vienna, Austria. Several former JoWooD employees were hired by Nordic Games GmbH to work on the backlog sales of former JoWooD properties, and Nordic Games Publishing was integrated into Nordic Games GmbH to facilitate publishing operations. Nordic Games Licensing AB, also established in 2011, became the holding company within Nordic Games Holding (later known as Nordic Games Group), as well as the parent company of Nordic Games GmbH. Nordic Games acquired the Scandinavian business of retailer Game in May 2012.[6] In April 2013, Nordic Games Licensing bought several assets of the bankrupt publisher THQ to be managed by Nordic Games GmbH. It obtained the "THQ" trademark in June 2014, intending to use the name as a publishing label for its THQ properties. Subsequently, in August 2016, the company changed its name to THQ Nordic, while Nordic Games GmbH became THQ Nordic GmbH. According to Wingefors and THQ Nordic GmbH's Reinhard Pollice, the name change was undergone to capitalise on the good reputation of THQ's past, although they avoided naming the companies just "THQ" to avoid connections to the bankrupt publisher's more recent troubled history.
THQ Nordic undertook its initial public offering on 22 November 2016 and became a public company listed on the Nasdaq First North stock exchange, being valuated at SEK1.9 billion, while Wingefors retained a 50% ownership in the company. In February 2018, THQ Nordic acquired the Austrian multimedia company Koch Media, which operated the Deep Silver video game label, for €121 million. Koch Media was set to operate independently under THQ Nordic, separate from THQ Nordic GmbH. To better reflect its holding function and to avoid confusion between THQ Nordic and its Viennese office, THQ Nordic stated that it planned to rename itself in the future. In June 2018, the company issued 7.7 million new Class B shares to raise US$168 million for future acquisitions. The company bought the Coffee Stain group, including houses developer Coffee Stain Studios, for SEK317 million in cash. Coffee Stain became THQ Nordic's "third leg", operating independently like Koch Media. Through the two acquisitions and continued sales from THQ Nordic GmbH, THQ Nordic's net sales rose by 713%, to US$447.6 million, in its 2018 fiscal year. In December 2018, GamesIndustry.biz named Wingefors as one of their People of the Year.
Holding rebranded as Embracer Group and rapid growth (2019–2022)
In February 2019, THQ Nordic issued 11 million new Class B shares and raised SEK2.09 billion. At the end of its first fiscal quarter of 2019, THQ Nordic bought Game Outlet Europe for SEK10 million from Nordic Games Group, which was still majority-owned by Wingefors. THQ Nordic then bought the investment arm of Goodbye Kansas, Goodbye Kansas Game Invest (GKGI), and its investments in five startup developers—Palindrome Interactive, Fall Damage, Neon Giant, Kavalri Games and Framebunker—for SEK42.4 million. GKGI was later rebranded Amplifier Game Invest to reflect its new ownership.
To avoid further confusion with THQ Nordic GmbH and clarify its position as a holding company, THQ Nordic assumed the name "Embracer Group" at its annual general meeting on 17 September 2019, while the branch in Vienna retained its name. In the following months, Embracer made several acquisitions and openings: Amplifier Game Invest bought Tarsier Studios for SEK99 million. in December 2019 and opened River End Games and C77 Entertainment in January 2020. Embracer Group acquired Saber Interactive and its five satellite studios in February 2020 for a US$525 million to establish its fifth operative group. Saber co-founders Matthew Karch and Andrey Iones became Embracer's largest shareholders after Wingefors, with Karch joining the board.[7][8] The holding raised US$164 million in April 2020 for future expansion and bought Deca Games as its sixth operative group for €25 million in August 2020. In the same month, the Embracer Group announced the acquisitions of Palindrome Interactive, Rare Earth Games and Vermila Studios under Amplifier Game Invest, 4A Games and New World Interactive under Saber Interactive, Pow Wow Entertainment under THQ Nordic, and Sola Media under Koch Media's film division. By November, the company had also purchased 34BigThings, Mad Head Games, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Sandbox Strategies, Snapshot Games and Zen Studios via Saber Interactive, A Thinking Ape Entertainment and IUGO Mobile Entertainment via Deca Games, Flying Wild Hog via Koch Media, Purple Lamp Studios via THQ Nordic, Silent Games via Amplifier Game Invest, as well as Quantic Lab directly. According to Klemens Kreuzer, the chief executive officer of THQ Nordic, the large number of acquisitions represented a portfolio diversification that contrasted the reliance of larger publishers like Electronic Arts on a few keystone titles.
Embracer Group announced three major acquisitions in February 2021: Gearbox Entertainment (including Gearbox Software) for US$1.3 billion and Easybrain for US$640 million as the seventh and eighth operative groups, as well as Aspyr (under Saber Interactive) for US$450 million. These acquisitions were completed by April 2021. Embracer Group began issuing additional stock in March 2021 and raised another US$890 million to further its acquisition strategies. That year, the company also bought 3D Realms, Demiurge Studios, Fractured Byte, Slipgate Ironworks and SmartPhone Labs through Saber Interactive, Appeal Studios, Kaiko and Massive Miniteam through THQ Nordic, Frame Break through Amplifier Game Invest, CrazyLabs through Deca Games, Ghost Ship Games and Easy Trigger Games through Coffee Stain, DigixArt through Koch Media, as well as Grimfrost directly. Asmodee, which principally distributed board games, became Embracer Group's ninth operative group for €2.75 billion in December 2021. In the same month, Embracer Group announced its tenth operative group with the acquisition of Dark Horse Media, the parent company of Dark Horse Comics and Dark Horse Entertainment, and Gearbox Entertainment purchased Perfect World Entertainment, including Cryptic Studios, for US$125 million.
In May 2022, Square Enix and Embracer Group entered into an agreement for the latter to purchase Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montreal, alongside intellectual properties like Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain, for US$300 million. The acquisition was closed by August 2022 and the assets transferred to CDE Entertainment. Square Enix Montréal was briefly rebranded as Onoma but closed in November 2022 in a cost reduction measure. Additionally, Embracer Group created the Embracer Group Archive video game preservation effort in May and established its eleventh operative group, Freemode, from C77 Entertainment, Game Outlet Europe, Grimfrost, Quantic Lab, and the newly purchased Bitwave Games, Clear River Games, Gioteck, and Tatsujin. The latter was subsequently expanded with the acquisitions of Limited Run Games, Singtrix, and Middle-earth Enterprises, which owns the media rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Debt and restructuring (2022–present)
Savvy Gaming Group (later Savvy Games Group), a company wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, invested about US$1 billion into Embracer Group in June 2022, gaining an 8.1% stake. Embracer Group transitioned from Nasdaq First North to Nasdaq Stockholm on 22 December 2022. In May 2023, the company announced that a US$2 billion investment deal, which had been verbally agreed on in October 2022, had unexpectedly failed to materialise as the investing partner walked away from the deal after protracted negotiations. Shortly following the announcement, the company's shares fell by 40%. According to Axios, this partner was Savvy Games Group. Matt Karch, the CEO of Saber Interactive, said that the $2 billion deal had initially began for additional funds from investment towards new games in the Turok and Jurassic Park series, but more options were added in to cover development efforts across the Embracer group, and that the deal had become too large as a single monolithic approach for the Savvy Gaming Group, leading to the deal falling through.[9]
Embracer Group consequently announced in June 2023 that it would immediately begin implementing a large-scale restructuring programme focused on cost reduction, comprising layoffs, studio closures and divestments, and project cancellations until March 2024. The company closed the Gearbox studios Volition in August and Free Radical Design in December. Other studios were subject to layoffs, including the THQ Nordic studio Campfire Cabal, which was effectively shut down according to Bruno-Christian Belibou.
By November 2023, Embracer Group had laid off 904 employees, roughly 5% of its workforce, and cancelled at least fifteen projects. As such, the company had reduced its debt from US$2 billion to US$1.5 billion, though warned that further layoffs and studio closures were likely. In February 2024, it was reported that Embracer Group was finalising the sales of Saber Interactive and Gearbox Entertainment. The sale of Saber Interactive was announced in March 2024. Beacon Interactive, a company owned by Saber Interactive's co-founder Matthew Karch, bought Saber Interactive for US$247 million alongside its satellite studios and the subsidiaries 3D Realms, Bytex, Digic Pictures, Fractured Byte, Mad Head Games, New World Interactive, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Sandbox Strategies, Slipgate Ironworks, SmartPhone Labs, and Stuntworks. 34BigThings, 4A Games, Aspyr, Beamdog, Demiurge Studios, Shiver Entertainment, Snapshot Games, Tripwire Interactive, Tuxedo Labs, and Zen Studios remained with Embracer Group, to be integrated with other operative groups, although Beacon Interactive received an option to acquire 4A Games and Zen Studios in the future, but this option was cancelled on September 13, 2024. The divestiture also comprised 2,950 employees (21% of Embracer Group's workforce), including all staff in Russia. According to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg News, Beacon Interactive plans to exercise its option for a combined purchase price of US$500 million.
In March 2024, Take-Two Interactive acquired Gearbox Entertainment, which was moved under the 2K label. After the sale closed, Gearbox Entertainment retained Gearbox Software, Gearbox Publishing, Gearbox Studio Montreal, Gearbox Studio Quebec, Gearbox Properties and the Borderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem franchises, while Embracer Group retained Gearbox Publishing San Francisco (including Gearbox Shanghai), which was renamed Arc Games; Cryptic Studios; Lost Boys Interactive; and Captured Dimensions alongside several titles. Retained companies were integrated into other parts of Embracer Group.[10]
With the sale of Gearbox, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors stated that the company restructuring was complete, and had no short-term plans to restart mergers or acquisitions, instead focusing on "simply making better products and games" to improve cash flow.[11] From June 2023 to May 2024, the restructuring had led to the loss of 4532 employees, the closure of 44 studios, and cancellation of 80 in-development projects,[12] including a new Deus Ex,[13] TimeSplitters[14] and Red Faction games.[15] Despite these steps, the company still faced $1.5 billion in debt.[16]
In April 2024, Embracer Group announced that it would split up into three separate publicly traded companies on the Swedish stock market within the next two years.[17][18][19] "Fellowship Entertainment" (under the working name "Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends"), the legal successor to Embracer Group, will be used for the commercial rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's work The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as intellectual properties such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Metro, Dead Island, Killing Floor, Darksiders, Remnant and Tomb Raider, amongst more than 300 other game IPs, and consist of companies under the THQ Nordic, Plaion, CDE Entertainment, DECA Games, Dark Horse, and the Freemode umbrella, and other companies such as 4A Games and Aspyr.[1] The Asmodee Group will be the publisher of board and card games from Asmodee and its studios, which came into effect on 7 February 2025.[20] "Coffee Stain Group" (under the working name "Coffee Stain & Friends") will focused on community driven experiences, and will include companies under the Coffee Stain group, Ghost Ship and Tuxedo Labs as well as certain studios from Amplifier Game Invest, all based in Scandinavia, which came into effect on 11 December 2025.[1] Wingefors will own all three companies under the new holding company Embracer AB and remain as the group CEO once the splits are complete.[1]
In May 2024, Nintendo announced their acquisition of Shiver Entertainment from Embracer, subject to closing conditions.[21][22] In June 2024, Embracer closed Alone in the Dark (2024) developer Pieces Interactive following the game's disappointing performance.[23] In July, it was reported that Piranha Bytes was quietly shuttered at the end of June.[24]
In November 2024, Embracer Group said that they had reduced their number of employees from 15,701 to 10,450.[25] That same month, they announced that they would divest Easybrain to Miniclip for a consideration of $1.2 billion, with the transaction close on January 22, 2025.[26] By the end of 2024, Embracer had reduced their number of employees to 7,873.[27]
In May 2025, Embracer Group announced that Amplifier Game Invest would be dissolved, "integrating successful and high-potential studios, including Tarsier Studios, into other operative groups within Embracer to support their continued growth, while underperforming games and studios with negative cash flow have been closed or divested".[28]
In June 2025, Embracer Group announced that CEO Lars Wingefors would resign from its position and would be replaced by Phil Rogers, formerly of Eidos Interactive and Square Enix, effective in August 2025. Rogers also serves as the CEO of both Plaion and Crystal Dynamics - Eidos at the time of the transition, and previously held the position as deputy CEO. Wingefors kept his board member position and later transitioned as the group's chairman.[29][30]
Subsidiaries
As of December 2025, Embracer Group employs nearly 6,500 employees in nearly 30 countries across 55 studios in 6 operative groups.[31]
- THQ Nordic
- Alkimia Interactive
- Appeal Studios
- Ashborne Games
- Black Forest Games
- Bugbear Entertainment
- Campfire Cabal
- DigixArt
- Experiment 101
- Gate21
- Grimlore Games
- Gunfire Games
- HandyGames
- Massive Miniteam
- Kaiko
- Metricminds
- Nine Rocks Games
- Purple Lamp
- Snapshot Games
- Tarsier Studios
- Voxler
- Zen Studios
- Plaion
- Deep Silver
- Dambuster Studios
- Fishlabs
- Development Plus
- Flying Wild Hog
- Milestone
- Plaion Pictures
- Sola Media
- Prime Matter
- Ravenscourt
- Splatter Connect
- Vertigo Games
- Vertigo Arcade
- Vertigo Publishing
- Vertigo Publishing Amsterdam
- Vertigo Studios
- Warhorse Studios
- Deca Games
- A Thinking Ape Entertainment
- CrazyLabs
- Firescore Interactive
- Dark Horse Media
- Dark Horse Comics
- Dark Horse Entertainment
- Things from Another World
- Freemode
- Bitwave Games
- Captured Dimensions
- Clear River Games
- Game Outlet Europe
- Gioteck
- Grimfrost
- Limited Run Games
- Middle-earth Enterprises
- Quantic Lab
- RedOctane Games
- Singtrix
- Tatsujin
- CDE Entertainment
- Crystal Dynamics
- Crystal Northwest
- Crystal Southwest
- Eidos-Montréal
- Other studios
- 34BigThings
- 4A Games
- Aspyr
- Beamdog
- Demiurge Studios
- DestinyBit
- Framebunker (34% stake)
- Tripwire Interactive
Divested subsidiaries
- Coffee Stain (acquired in November 2018, spun off in December 2025)
- A Creative Endeavor
- Box Dragon
- Coffee Stain Studios
- Coffee Stain Gothenburg
- Coffee Stain Malmö
- Coffee Stain North
- Coffee Stain Publishing
- Easy Trigger Games
- Frame Break
- Ghost Ship Games
- Ghost Ship Publishing
- Invisible Walls
- Iron Gate Studios (30%)
- Kavalri Games
- Lavapotion
- Tuxedo Labs
- Vaulted Sky Games (30%)
- Former Amplifier Game Invest Studios:
- C77 Entertainment (founded January 2020, moved to Freemode in August 2022, sold to Krafton in January 2024)
- Fall Damage (acquired in 2019, sold to Fragbite Group in October 2023)
- Goose Byte (founded December 2021, divested in August 2023)
- Misc Games (53% stake, divested in October 2025) [32]
- Neon Giant (28% stake, fully acquired April 2018, sold to Krafton in November 2022)
- Rare Earth (acquired August 2020, divested in April 2024)
- River End Games (founded January 2020, sold to Nordcurrent in November 2023) [33]
- Silent Games (acquired November 2020, divested in July 2023)
- Studio Hermitage (founded January 2023, divested in April 2025)
- Vermila Studios (acquired August 2020, divested in 2023)
- Zapper Games (founded December 2021, divested in March 2025)
- Saber Interactive (acquired in February 2020, sold to Beacon Interactive in March 2024)
- Saber Armenia
- Saber Belarus
- Saber London
- Saber Madrid
- Saber Porto
- Saber St. Petersburg
- Saber Sweden
- 3D Realms
- Bytex
- Digic Pictures
- Fractured Byte
- Mad Head Games
- New World Interactive
- Nimble Giant Entertainment
- Sandbox Strategies
- SmartPhone Labs
- Slipgate Ironworks
- Stuntworks
- Gearbox Entertainment (acquired in 2021, sold to Take-Two Interactive in June 2024)
- Gearbox Software
- Gearbox Studio Montréal
- Gearbox Studio Québec
- Gearbox Studios
- Gearbox Properties
- Asmodee (acquired in December 2021, spun off in February 2025)
- Access+
- Aconyte
- Atomic Mass Games
- Bezzerwizzer Studio
- Catan Studio
- Days of Wonder
- Edge Entertainment
- Exploding Kittens
- Fantasy Flight Games
- Gamegenic
- Libellud
- Lookout Games
- Mixlore
- Plan B Games
- Plaid Hat Games
- Rebel Studio
- Repos Production
- Space Cow
- Space Cowboys
- The Green Board Game Co.
- Twin Sails Interactive
- Unexpected Games
- VR Group
- Z-Man Games
- Zygomatic Games
- Former THQ Nordic Studios:
- Foxglove Studios (founded in 2016, divested in 2019)
- Rainbow Studios (reestablished January 2013, divested in March 2024)
- Former Plaion Studios:
- Anime Limited (acquired in October 2022, sold to Toho in December 2025)
- Other Divested Studios:
- Shiver Entertainment (acquired by Saber Interactive in December 2021, retained when Saber was sold, then sold to Nintendo in May 2024)
- Easybrain (acquired in February 2021, sold to Miniclip in November 2024)
- SpringboardVR (acquired in February 2021, sold to SynthesisVR in February 2025)
- Arc Games (Acquired in December 2021, sold to management in November 2025)[34]
- Cryptic Studios (Acquired in December 2021, sold to management in November 2025)[34]
- Lost Boys Interactive (Acquired in June 2022, sold to management in December 2025)[35]
Closed subsidiaries
- Amplifier Game Invest (announced May 2025) [36]
- Green Tile Digital (acquired December 2021, closed in September 2025)
- Infinite Mana Games (founded August 2022, closed in February 2025)
- Palindrome Interactive (acquired August 2020, closed in April 2025)
- Plucky Bytes (founded November 2020, closed in 2023)
- Former CDE Studios:
- Square Enix Montréal (acquired August 2022, closed in November 2022)
- Eidos-Sherbrooke (acquired August 2022, closed in June 2024)
- Former THQ Nordic Studios:
- Pieces Interactive (acquired by THQ Nordic in 2017, closed in June 2024)
- Piranha Bytes (acquired by THQ Nordic in 2019, closed in June 2024)
- Pow Wow Entertainment (acquired by THQ Nordic in August 2020, closed in June 2024)
- Mirage Game Studios (founded by THQ Nordic in January 2017, closed in April 2025)
- Former Deep Silver studios:
- Volition (acquired by Deep Silver in January 2013, closed in August 2023)
- Free Radical Design (reestablished by Deep Silver in May 2021, closed in December 2023)
- Former DECA Games studios:
- IUGO Mobile Entertainment (acquired by Deca Games in November 2020, closed in March 2025)
- Former Asmodee studios:
- Pearl Games (acquired by Asmodee in January 2015, closed in June 2024)
Merged subsidiaries
- Gaya Entertainment (merged into Plaion)
- KSM Film (merged into Plaion Pictures)
- Spotfilm Networx (merged into Plaion Pictures)
- 18Point2 (merged into Plaion)
- Jufeng Studio (merged into Deca Games)
Further reading
External links
References
- Sal Romano. Embracer Group to spin off Coffee Stain Group; remaining business to be renamed Fellowship Entertainment Gematsu, 22 May 2025, retrieved 22 May 2025^
- MarketScreener. Invitation to presentation of Embracer Group's intention to transform into three standalone publicly listed entities at Nasdaq Stockholm - MarketScreener www.marketscreener.com, 22 April 2024, retrieved 22 April 2024^
- Board of Directors & Committees Embracer Group^
- Leveling up: Embracer’s acquisition spree takes it to top of European games business Reuters, retrieved 2025-12-26^
- Ignacio Lillo. Pelle Lundborg: 'Our avocados from Carratraca are delivered directly to the Royal House of Sweden' Sur in English, 2025-08-22, retrieved 2025-12-26^
- Tim Pototzki. Nordic Games übernimmt skandinavisches GAME-Geschäft GamesMarket, 2012-05-31, retrieved 2025-12-27^
- Vikki Blake. Embracer Group acquires Saber Interactive MCV, 2020-02-19, retrieved 2026-01-01^
- Nadine Seibold. Matthew Karch tritt Board of Directors der Embracer Group bei GamesMarket, 2020-05-20, retrieved 2026-01-01^
- Alex Calvin. Here's why that Embracer Saudi deal fell through PC Games Insider, March 18, 2025, retrieved March 22, 2025^
- Embracer Group divests Gearbox Entertainment for a consideration of USD 460 million to Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Embracer Group, retrieved 28 March 2024^
- Rick Lane. As restructuring ends with the sale of Gearbox, Embracer's CEO has a new plan: 'simply making better products and games' PC Gamer, 29 March 2024, retrieved 30 March 2024^
- Ed Nightengale. Here's the human cost of Embracer's restructuring programme Eurogamer, 23 May 2024, retrieved 23 May 2024^
- Sean Holister. Embracer lays off 97 Eidos employees and cancels new Deus Ex game The Verge, 29 January 2024, retrieved 29 January 2024^
- Wesley Yin-poole. Canceled TimeSplitters Reboot Looks a Lot Like Fortnite IGN, 21 March 2024, retrieved 21 March 2024^
- Vikky Blake. Red Faction: Guerrilla sequel was another Embracer casualty, say former Fishlab devs Eurogamer, 22 June 2024, retrieved 22 June 2024^
- Embracer Group full-year sales rise to $3.9bn, but $1.5bn debt remains 23 May 2024^
- Sal Romano. Embracer Group to transform into three separate companies – Asmodee Group, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends Gematsu, 22 April 2024, retrieved 22 April 2024^
- Chris Scullion. Embracer Group announces plans to split into three separate companies Video Games Chronicle, 22 April 2024, retrieved 23 April 2024^
- James Batchelor. Embracer Group splits into three: Everything you need to know GamesIndustry.biz, 22 April 2024, retrieved 23 April 2024^
- Asmodee begins trading on Nasdaq Stockholm today Asmodee, retrieved 7 February 2025^
- Andy Robinson. Nintendo agrees deal to buy Hogwarts Legacy, Mortal Kombat Switch studio Video Games Chronicle, 20 May 2024, retrieved 20 May 2024^
- Notice of the Acquisition of Shiver Entertainment, Inc. Nintendo Co., Ltd., 21 May 2024^
- Ryan Dinsdale. Embracer Shuts Down Alone in the Dark Developer Pieces Interactive IGN, 2024-06-17, retrieved 2024-06-17^
- Vikki Blake. Embracer-owned studio Piranha Bytes has been shut down GamesIndustry.biz, 2024-07-08, retrieved 2024-07-09^
- Marie Dealessandri. Embracer PC and console sales plummet during Q2 GamesIndustry.biz, 14 November 2024, retrieved 14 November 2024^
- Sophie McEvoy. Embracer divests Easybrain to Miniclip in $1.2bn deal GamesIndustry.biz, 14 November 2024, retrieved 14 November 2024^
- Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer. Embracer sales drop 22% to $1.5bn, $298m debt remains GamesIndustry.biz, 2025-02-14, retrieved 2025-02-14^
- Embracer Group Q4 and Year-End Report FY 2024/25 Embracer Group, 22 May 2025^
- Andy Robinson. Embracer to replace CEO who oversaw turbulent acquisition spree, and mass layoffs Video Games Chronicle, 10 June 2025, retrieved 21 August 2025^
- —^
- About Embracer Group, retrieved 2025-03-22^
- Norwegian developer buys back shares from Swedish gaming giant Europesays.com^
- Justin Carter. Mobile publisher Nordcurrent acquires River End Games Game Developer, 2025-11-15, retrieved 2026-02-26^
- Andy Robinson. Embracer sells two more companies from its acquisition spree era, as Remnant and Neverwinter firms offloaded VGC, 2025-11-26, retrieved 2025-11-26^
- Lost Boys Interactive Returns to Independent, Founder-Led Ownership Lost Boys Interactive, 2025-12-09, retrieved 2025-12-19^
- Embracer Group Q4 and Year-End Report FY 2024/25 Embracer Group^
- Stephen Totilo. $2 billion partnership deal falls through for Embracer Group Axios, 24 May 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- Stephen Tolito. Scoop: Saudi-funded Savvy Games was the mystery partner in collapsed $2B Embracer deal Axios, 14 August 2023, retrieved 14 August 2023^
- Jason Schreier. Embracer Group Shuts Down Montreal Video Game Studio Bloomberg News, 1 November 2022, retrieved 1 November 2022^
- Jason Schreier. Embracer Group to Sell Saber, Developer of a New 'Star Wars' Game Remake, in $500 Million Deal Bloomberg News, 29 February 2024, retrieved 29 February 2024^
- Nina Åkerberg. Svensk tar sig ton i spelvärlden Dagens industri, 28 November 2009, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Årsredovisning – Nordic Games Licensing AB Embracer Group, 7 June 2016, retrieved 22 December 2021^
- Embracer Group Interim Report Q2 2024/25 Embracer Group, 14 November 2024, retrieved 11 January 2025^
- Embracer Group Acquires Deca Games Embracer Group, 13 August 2020, retrieved 13 August 2020^
- Prospectus for admission to trading of Class B shares in Embracer Group AB (publ) on Nasdaq Stockholm Embracer Group, 19 December 2022, retrieved 19 December 2022^
- Embracer Group enters into an agreement to acquire Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montréal amongst other assets Embracer Group, 2 May 2022, retrieved 2 May 2022^
- THQ Nordic becomes Embracer Group Embracer Group, 17 September 2019, retrieved 17 September 2019^
- Embracer Group Announces the 11[th] Operating Group: Embracer Freemode Embracer Group, 18 August 2022, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- THQ Nordic AB (publ) acquires Goodbye Kansas Game Invest Embracer Group, 14 August 2019, retrieved 17 September 2019^
- THQ Nordic AB (publ) – Interim Report – 1 January—30 September 2016 Embracer Group, 25 October 2016, retrieved 22 December 2021^
- THQ Nordic AB (publ) Reg No.: 556582-6558 Interim Report 11 April – 30 June 2019 Embracer Group, 14 August 2019, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- Embracer Group acquires Appeal Studios, KAIKO, Massive Miniteam and FRAME BREAK Embracer Group, 11 May 2021, retrieved 12 May 2021^
- Embracer Group announces comprehensive restructuring program with immediate implementation Embracer Group, 13 June 2023, retrieved 13 June 2023^
- Embracer Group ceases all operations in Russia through the divestment of selected assets from the operative group Saber Interactive Embracer Group, 14 March 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- Senior executives Embracer Group, retrieved 8 August 2025^
- Daniel Mellwing. Han är superentreprenören från Karlstad Entreprenör, 1 March 2011, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Matt Wales. Embracer Group layoffs hit Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics Eurogamer, 20 September 2023, retrieved 23 September 2023^
- Ed Nightingale. Embracer Group completes acquisition of Square Enix's western studios Eurogamer, 26 August 2022, retrieved 26 August 2022^
- Tom Phillips. TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design closed today, staff say Eurogamer, 11 December 2023, retrieved 11 December 2023^
- Chris Kerr. THQ parent company Embracer has purchased Metro dev 4A Games and others Gamasutra, 13 August 2020, retrieved 13 August 2020^
- Chris Kerr. Embracer buys eight studios including Ghost Ship Games, 3D Realms, and Digixart Gamasutra, 5 August 2021, retrieved 5 August 2021^
- Frank Cifaldi. Nordic Games Saves JoWood From Insolvency With Acquisition Gamasutra, 16 August 2011, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Emma Kidwell. THQ Nordic raises $168 million for future acquisitions Gamasutra, 14 June 2018, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Jon Leo. Nordic Games Holding acquires JoWood and The Adventure Company GameSpot, 17 August 2011, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Petra Fröhlich. Analyse: Was THQ Nordic mit Koch Media vor hat GamesWirtschaft, 15 February 2018, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Sal Romano. Embracer Group acquires Demiurge Studios, Fractured Byte, and SmartPhone Labs Gematsu, 18 August 2021, retrieved 18 August 2021^
- Sal Romano. THQ Nordic acquires Bugbear Entertainment and Coffee Stain Studios Gematsu, 14 November 2018, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Sal Romero. Embracer Group completes merger with The Gearbox Entertainment Company Gematsu, 6 April 2021, retrieved 6 April 2021^
- Sal Romano. THQ Nordic to change parent company group name to Embracer Group Gematsu, 14 August 2019, retrieved 14 August 2019^
- Sal Romano. Embracer Group acquires 34BigThings, Flying Wild Hog, Nimble Giant Entertainment, Purple Lamp Studios, Snapshot Games, Zen Studios, more Gematsu, 18 November 2020, retrieved 18 November 2020^
- Sal Romano. Saber Interactive to split from Embracer Group [Update] Gematsu, 14 March 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- James Batchelor. THQ Nordic net sales rose 713% to $447.6m in 2018 GamesIndustry.biz, 13 February 2019, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Ivy Taylor. Goodbye Kansas Game Invest re-brands as Amplifier Game Invest GamesIndustry.biz, 15 January 2020, retrieved 15 January 2020^
- Ivy Taylor. Embracer Group raises $164m for acquisition and expansion GamesIndustry.biz, 8 April 2020, retrieved 8 April 2020^
- James Batchelor. Embracer Group raising over $890m for even more acquisitions GamesIndustry.biz, 18 March 2021, retrieved 18 March 2021^
- Jeffrey Rousseau. Embracer purchases Asmodee for €2.75bn GamesIndustry.biz, 15 December 2021, retrieved 15 December 2021^
- Ivy Taylor. Amplifier Game Invest opens Seattle studio GamesIndustry.biz, 30 January 2020, retrieved 30 January 2020^
- Danielle Partis. Embracer acquires Dark Horse, Shiver Entertainment and Spotfilm Networx GamesIndustry.biz, 21 December 2021, retrieved 21 December 2021^
- James Batchelor. THQ Nordic raises $225m for further acquisitions GamesIndustry.biz, 21 February 2019, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Matthew Handrahan. THQ Nordic strengthens portfolio with Goodbye Kansas Game Invest acquisition GamesIndustry.biz, 14 August 2019, retrieved 14 August 2019^
- Matt Martin. Nordic Games acquires JoWood and The Adventure Company GamesIndustry.biz, 16 August 2011, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Marie Dealessandri. Embracer approved to trade on Nasdaq Stockholm GamesIndustry.biz, 8 December 2022, retrieved 10 December 2022^
- Brendan Sinclair. Embracer closing former Square Enix Montreal studio and QA team GamesIndustry.biz, 1 November 2022, retrieved 19 December 2022^
- James Batchelor. People of the Year 2018: Lars Wingefors GamesIndustry.biz, 6 December 2018, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- James Batchelor. Embracer Group acquires Perfect World Entertainment, Digic GamesIndustry.biz, 22 December 2021, retrieved 22 December 2021^
- James Batchelor. Amplifier Game Invest opened new development studio in Sweden GamesIndustry.biz, 24 January 2020, retrieved 30 January 2020^
- Ivy Taylor. Embracer Group acquires Saber Interactive in $525m deal GamesIndustry.biz, 19 February 2020, retrieved 19 February 2020^
- Danielle Partis. Saudi Arabia acquires $1bn stake in Embracer Group Gamesindustry.biz, 8 June 2022, retrieved 8 June 2022^
- James Batchelor. Embracer Group acquires Little Nightmares dev Tarsier Studios for $10.5m GamesIndustry.biz, 20 December 2019, retrieved 21 December 2019^
- Taylor Lyles. Embracer Group Is Starting to Close Studios After Losing Out on Deal Worth Billions IGN, 4 August 2023, retrieved 6 August 2022^
- Adam Bankhurst. Embracer Group Enters Agreement to Acquire Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal for $300 Million IGN, 2 May 2022, retrieved 2 May 2022^
- Ethan Gach. Sources: Borderlands Studio Will Escape The Most Divisive Company In Gaming Kotaku, 29 February 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- Management Team Strengthens Nordic Games Publishing, 20 February 2010^
- Group History Nordic Games Group^
- James Connell. Tech Brief:GAME OVER The New York Times, 16 May 2001, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Ted Litchfield. The Embracer Group is now collecting historical games in addition to developers PC Gamer, 28 May 2022, retrieved 29 May 2022^
- Jody McGregor. 26 staff have been laid off at Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition studio Beamdog PC Gamer, 23 September 2023, retrieved 23 September 2023^
- Shaun Prescott. Embracer goes on spending spree: buys Lord of the Rings IP rights, Tripwire Interactive, and more PC Gamer, 18 August 2022, retrieved 11 May 2023^
- Allegra Frank. THQ Nordic is ready to prove itself after a big name change Polygon, 16 August 2016, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Dave Tach. Who is Nordic Games? Polygon, 22 April 2013, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Dansk arbetsrätt ett föredöme Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, 9 August 2011, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Shaheen Samavati. THQ Nordic valuation grows to €190 million after IPO on Nasdaq First North Tech.eu, 23 November 2016, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Mark Atkinson. Joining the dots loses its appeal The Guardian, 4 April 2000, retrieved 8 October 2020^
- Tom Richardson. Gameplay division sold for £1 The Register, 17 May 2001, retrieved 17 March 2019^
- Dean Takahashi. Why THQ Nordic has joined the game studio acquisition binge VentureBeat, 5 December 2020, retrieved 6 December 2020^
- Dean Takahashi. Embracer Group acquires Aspyr Media for up to $450 million VentureBeat, 2 February 2021, retrieved 2 February 2021^
- Dean Takahashi. Embracer Group acquires mobile game maker Easybrain for $640 million VentureBeat, 2 February 2021, retrieved 2 February 2021^
- Dean Takahashi. Embracer Group acquires Borderlands maker Gearbox Entertainment for $1.3 billion VentureBeat, 2 February 2021, retrieved 2 February 2021^
- Tom Ivan. Embracer has written down 15 projects, says further studio closures and buyouts planned Video Games Chronicle, 16 November 2023, retrieved 16 November 2023^
- Andy Robinson. Embracer confirms $247m sale of Saber assets and withdraws from Russia Video Games Chronicle, 14 March 2024, retrieved 14 March 2024^
- Chris Scullion. Saints Row developer Volition has been closed 'effective immediately' Video Games Chronicle, 31 August 2023, retrieved 31 August 2023^
- Samuel Tolbert. Embracer Group acquires The Lord of the Ring IP, Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and more Windows Central, 18 August 2022, retrieved 18 August 2022^