Disclaimer: We are not lawyers, and some of the content here may not be 100% correct. Apologies in advance!
If you've ever been interested in gaming news, you've probably noticed the seemingly endless and somewhat-worrying number of news articles about acquisitions over the past few years, and that one of the names appearing over and over again is Embracer Group, which seems to be snarling up game studios left and right.
But you're probably wondering, what are the rights to these games? Sure, Embracer Group will not be making the games, but they can make new ones in a fair number of IPs at this point, most recently the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit series, which they acquired in August of 2022.
Let's take a look at a (non-exhaustive) list of Embracer's most famous IPs, franchises, and titles:
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Hobbit
- The Ascent
- Sanctum
- Goat Simulator
- Satisfactory
- Giana Sisters
- Destroy All Humans! (2020-present)
- Deep Rock Galactic
- Realm of the Mad God
- DragonVale
- FlatOut
- Wreckfest
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance
- Gothic
- Risen
- ELEX
- MotoGP
- MXGP
- Darksiders
- Remnant: From the Ashes & Chronos: Before the Ashes
- SnowRunner
- Duke Nukem
- Zen Pinball
- CastleStorm
- Maneater
- Metro
- Shadow Warrior
- Evil West
- Trek to Yomi
- Borderlands
- Brothers in Arms
- Homeworld
- Homefront
- Road 96
- Torchlight
- Hob
- Neverwinter
- Gex
- Tomb Raider
- Legacy of Kain
- Deus Ex
- Thief
- Second Sight
- Alone in the Dark
- This Is The Police
- Saints Row
- Dead Island
- We Sing
- De Blob
- Red Faction
- TimeSplitters
- MX vs ATV
- Killing Floor
It appears that they may also own a large number of shares in the companies that produce the following games:
- Valheim
- Songs of Conquest
- Tick Tock: A Tale for Two
- Time on Frog Island
And, finally, they own Limited Run Games, a physical video game publisher that hasn't actually developed any in-house.
Embracer's ownership of rights is a bit more problematic when it comes to comic books, movies, and television. Many of the books that have been published by Dark Horse, one of Embracer's subsidiaries, did not belong to Dark Horse. Some have been transferred to new owners, while others have been returned to the original owners.
- 300
- 47 Ronin
- The Mask
- Aeon Flux
- Aliens
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Alien3
- Alien Vs Predator
- Angel
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Conan
- Critical Role
- Emily Strange
- Ghost
- Hellboy
- Indiana Jones
- James Bond
- Nexus
- Predator
- RoboCop
- Serenity
- Sin City
- Tarzan
- The Terminator
- Timecop
- The Umbrella Academy
- X
- Xena: Warrior Princess
Embracer is also the owner of Dark Horse Entertainment, which has produced films and television programs for the following stories:
- The Mask
- Timecop
- Hellboy
- Alien Vs Predator
- Emily the Strange
- R.I.P.D.
- The Umbrella Academy
- 7 Wonders
- Agricola
- Call of Cthulhu
- Carcassonne
- Ca$h 'n Gun$
- Catan
- Citadels
- Diplomacy
- Dixit
- Dobble
- Formula De
- Ghost Stories
- Hanabi
- Jaipur
- Jungle Speed
- Liar's Dice
- Pandemic
- Small World
- Splendor
- Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game
- The Werewolves of Millers Hollow
- Ticket to Ride
- Time's Up!
- Twilight Imperium
- Unlock!
- Pokemon (French only)
- The Lord of the Rings (card game)
- A Game of Thrones (card game)
- Arkham Horror (card game)
- Marvel Champions (card game)
- Justice League
- Gremlins
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- Battlestar Galactica (TCG)
- Quarriors!
- The Lord of the Rings Dice Building Game
- Dice Masters
- Clix
- Mage Knight
Phew. How long do you keep it till Embracer owns us, too? Do you think this kind of slow monopoly is beneficial for video games, or a bad thing? Tell us in the comments!