International video game publisher and developer Saber Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Embracer Group AB, has announced it has acquired video game company SmartPhone Labs and entered into agreements to acquire two other video game studios: Demiurge Studios and Fractured Byte.
This latest expansion further broadens Saber's reach and capabilities, which already included over a dozen game studios across the Americas, Europe, and Russia
'These three companies are some of the most impressive studios in the world, and we're looking forward to working closely together on all kinds of incredible projects,' said Matthew Karch, CEO and co-founder of Saber Interactive. 'As we grow our internal teams and work-for-hire business, these companies will allow us to diversify in significant ways. The specializations we now have in testing, design and creative across all platforms continue to expand, and today's acquisitions help us solidify our long-term plans for the future.'
Details about each acquisition:
Demiurge Studios
Saber has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in Demiurge Studios from its current owners. Demiurge is an independent games studio based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has been involved in many co-development projects and contributed to over two dozen titles, out of which four are original mobile free-to-play titles: Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire, Sega Heroes, Puzzle and Glory, and Marvel Puzzle Quest. The studio develops games cross-platform and is now focusing primarily on the AAA segment. It has worked with leading international developers and publishers such as THQ, Gearbox, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, SEGA, and Epic Games on titles such as Titan Quest, Borderlands, Brothers-in-Arms, Mass Effect, Medal of Honor: Airborne, and Rocket League: Sideswipe.
Through the acquisition, Saber will onboard a talented team that will strengthen Embracer Group's work-for-hire capabilities with significant experience in AAA game development. This further builds on Saber's footprint in the U.S. by enabling direct access to Boston, a city with tremendous talent and a major hub of game development on the East Coast.
Fractured Byte
Saber has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in OU Fractured Byte, a well-regarded game studio founded in 2018 with headquarters in Tallinn, Estonia, and development operations across three locations in Ukraine. The studio has extensive game development experience and has collaborated with global developers and publishers on porting projects, including Borderlands Legendary Collection and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 for Nintendo Switch. Through the acquisition, Saber will onboard a creative and cost-effective studio with a founder-led team, and going forward, Fractured Byte will continue to operate as a subsidiary to Saber and work closely with the Saber team on internal and external game development projects.
SmartPhone Labs
Saber has acquired 100 percent of the shares in SmartPhone Labs ('SPL'), an independent software testing and games development company for mobile, PC, consoles, and VR established in 2002. Based in Veliky Novgorod, Russia, SPL focuses on modern production and testing practices and has extensive experience working with Unity, custom C++ engines, VR and backend systems. SPL has a long-standing developer relationship with Saber, having collaborated on many successful projects, including bringing Mudrunner to mobile and World War Z to Nintendo Switch. Within Embracer, SPL will operate as a subsidiary under Saber, with continued focus on software testing and games development. Saber onboards an experienced team that further strengthens Saber's position in Russia and Eastern Europe.
For more details on any of today's acquisition announcements, visit https://embracer.com/news-media.
About Saber Interactive
An Embracer Group company headquartered in the U.S., Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer operating across 16 studios in the Americas and Europe, including Saber development offices in Russia, Spain, Belarus, Sweden and Portugal. Creating games for all major platforms based on both original and licensed IPs, Saber's titles include World War Z with over 15 million players worldwide (built on the proprietary Swarm Engine), SnowRunner, the NBA Playgrounds franchise, and the upcoming Evil Dead: The Game. Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with AAA publishers, producing The Witcher III for Nintendo Switch and next-gen consoles, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Crysis Remastered, Quake Champions and many others.
About Embracer Group
Embracer Group is the parent company of businesses developing and publishing PC, console and mobile games for the global games market. The Group has an extensive catalogue of over 240 owned franchises, such as Saints Row, Goat Simulator, Dead Island, Darksiders, Metro, MX vs ATV, Kingdoms of Amalur, TimeSplitters, Satisfactory, Wreckfest, Insurgency, World War Z and Borderlands, amongst many others.
With its head office based in Karlstad, Sweden, Embracer Group has a global presence through its eight operative groups: THQ Nordic GmbH, Koch Media GmbH/Deep Silver, Coffee Stain AB, Amplifier Game Invest, Saber Interactive, DECA Games, Gearbox Entertainment and Easybrain. The Group has 69 internal game development studios and is engaging more than 7,000 employees and contracted employees in more than 40 countries.
Media Contact
Shaun Norton Sandbox Strategies & Saber Interactive shaun@sandboxstrat.com www.sandboxstrat.com
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