To start off 2021, Embracer Group has already announced the acquisition of Gearbox Entertainment in a $1.3 billion purchase. That follows a 2020 in which Embracer Group acquired ten different companies, most of which were video game studios. These included Metro developer 4A Games, World War Z developer Saber Interactive, and many others. But if anyone thought Embracer might slow down going forward, a new wave of investor fundraising is certain to prove them wrong.
Embracer announced Thursday morning that it’s issuing 36 million new shares, citing strong demand. These 36 million shares are expected to raise SEK 7.6 billion, around $890 million, in what’s an effort to raise capital faster than normal. As noted, Gearbox Entertainment was acquired for around $1.3 billion, so the new stock issuance won’t cover that. Nevertheless, nearly a billion dollars in capital is absolutely a significant amount and opens up a lot of opportunities to Embracer.
As confirmed by Embracer’s CEO, this new investment is going to allow the company to continue being aggressive with regards to potential acquisitions. The exact words of CEO Lars Wingefors are that Embracer will continue its strategy of “welcoming more new great companies to the group.” Further, the company stated that it’s reviewing and evaluating a growing number of potential acquisitions that could be made in the near-term.
No specific studio names were mentioned with regards to who Embracer may be interesting in acquiring next. Almost all of its previous acquisitions have been surprises. If anything, it’s more difficult to guess now than it’s ever been, as Embracer’s started looking more towards the west for new acquisitions rather than European studios. It’s also open to major acquisitions like Gearbox, which opens up the possibility of acquisitions that could shock the world.
On paper, Embracer Group remains a medium-sized publisher in the video game industry. Net revenue among publishers has Embracer solidly out of the top ten, with Square Enix in the tenth position still bringing in multiple times Embracer’s net revenue. That’s in part due to Embracer’s constant acquisitions, but also representative of the size of the games it continues to put out.
That could change in 2021 or beyond. It seems like it’s just a matter of time. As Embracer grows, continues making surprising acquisitions, and releases more and more games, it’s bound to start being comparable to Take 2, EA, and Square Enix. From there, the sky is the limit for Embracer. Embracer could be the first new major publisher in a very long time.
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