Perhaps the most surprising part of the deal is the amount Embracer Group is paying for the acquisition – a sum total of around $300 million for everything involved. For Embracer this must feel like the deal of the century. As Square Enix prepares to release at least two of its most well-known IPs, Embracer is adding two established franchises to its portfolio. The deal also includes IPs like Thief, Legacy Of Kain, and more than 50 other back-catalog games from Square Enix Holdings the press release states.
Square Enix selling Deus Ex is the best thing to happen to Deus Ex
For Deus Ex fans, this deal must feel like somewhat of a hopeful occasion. Perhaps now the franchise will finally get the respect it deserves from its publishers. In fact, that seems to be exactly what’s happening. According to a report from ShackNews, Eidos Montreal plans to “revive” the Deus Ex franchise with a new game developed using Unreal Engine 5. Deus Ex, while not nearly as globally recognized as some of Square’s other properties, has a series of critically acclaimed games. However, the most recently released title in the franchise was 2016’s Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Meanwhile both the Tomb Raider and Hitman franchises have had recent releases within the last few years. All that aside, Embracer is getting some pretty top talent. By acquiring these three studios from Square Enix, Embracer Group will be gaining 1,100 new employees. In addition to a new Deus Ex game, Embracer’s press release states that Eidos Montreal is working on a collection of upcoming games. Including “AAA projects from both beloved franchises and original IPs.” Embracer says that it believes the next decade will see an increased demand for high quality content. Including for AAA single player games. With that in mind, Embracer is buying its way in to a host of well-established AAA single-player content.