With the end of 2021 and the start of 2022, there was still time for the Embracer Group (Nasdaq Stockholm: EMBRAC B) to make major acquisitions, including Dark Horse Comics and Perfect World Entertainment.
These deals will be finalized early this year, which will have significant ramifications down the line. While this may seem to be just a typical scenario of a large holding company acquiring smaller ones, there are major implications of these particular buyouts on comic books, MMO gaming, and the entertainment industry.
The Embracer Group
Formerly known as Nordic Games Licensing and THQ Nordic AB, the Embracer Group is a Swedish holding company that generally focused on video games. Although it began humbly in the 1990s as a young Lars Wingefors's own second-hand comic book and video game reseller, Nordic Games would eventually grow into an international holding organization by the 2010s.
After some difficulties during the early 2000s, the Embracer Group has acquired publishing and game development studios such as Coffee Stain Studios, Deep Silver, Koch Media, and Saber Interactive. In early 2021, it purchased the Gearbox Entertainment Company. This was a major development, as Gearbox Publishing and Gearbox Software produces the Borderlands series of games, as well as owning familiar IPs Duke Nukem, Godfall, and Homeworld.