To everyone’s surprise, Embracer announced on May 2 that it wanted to acquire the three major Western studios previously owned by the Square Enix group, namely Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montreal and Crystal Dynamics. Back thenthe amount of the transaction was even considered particularly low by the analyses, giving the impression that Square Enix wanted to quickly get rid of its flagship Western licenses (Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain), a few years following also dropping IO Interactive (Hitman). Since then, Embracer has multiplied acquisitions by offering itself the rights of the license The Lord of the Rings but also some studios such as Limited Run Games or Tripwire Interactive.
It was hard to imagine Embracer not transforming the trial, but a press release confirms today that the takeover of Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montreal and Crystal Dynamics, nearly 1,100 employees, is now finalized. It is therefore the end of an important chapter in the history of Square Enix. Would this allow old licenses to come back to life under Embracer? Answer in the years to come…
