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Embracer Group had M&A talks with over 150 companies last quarter

Embracer Group had M&A talks with over 150 companies last quarter

Swedish games giant Embracer Group claims to have had discussions with over 150 companies about acquisition activity for in the most recent financial quarter.

Speaking to investors, the firm said that it is in late-stage talks with "more than 20" firms, with letters of intent signed with "several" of these companies. Furthermore, Embracer has said that it does not want to become a "corporate machine" and instead sees itself as supporting companies and their creativity.

"Our strategy to empower great people to make their own operative decisions has proven very attractive," CEO Lars Wingefors (pictured) said.

"We offer them access to a growing ecosystem of independent resources while supporting them with a long-term mindset. The determination not to become a “corporate machine” is as strong as ever. Our philosophy is and will continue to be one that encourages founder creativity. During the quarter, we have engaged with more than 150 companies about joining the Group, including larger companies that could form additional operating groups and have a significant impact on the Group as a whole."

In recent years, Embracer has bought so many games firms. Like. So many. Most recently, it snapped up Gearbox in a deal worth $1.3 billion, while in November of last year it bought 12 studios – yes, 12 – in addition to a PR company. Earlier that year, it acquired a whole load of games firms, including Metro developer 4A and the studio behind Insurgency, New World Interactive. 

In March of this year, Embracer raised kr7.6 billion ($916 million) to fuel further acquisitions. The company claims to have kr17 billion ($2 billion) in the bank.


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.