Embracer Group acquiring The Lord of the Rings IP rights, Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and more

Embracer Group has shared details announcing the corporation has entered into a number of agreements to acquire several new companies. The press releases reveal that the company is purchasing Limited Run Games, Singtrix, Tuxedo Labs, Tripwire Interactive, Tatsujin, Bitwave Games, and Gioteck. Embracer is also acquiring the IP rights to The Lord of the Rings, which includes The Hobbit, and will be creating a new operating group to oversee these properties. Embracer estimates that the likely total consideration for the acquired businesses will be $788 million (8.2 billion SEK).

In addition to the five acquisitions announced, Embracer has also entered into an agreement to acquire another company within the gaming space, though that will be disclosed at a later date.

Embracer Group is a video game and media holding company based in Sweden. The company owns a wide selection of studios and other operative groups, including THQ Nordic, Gearbox Entertainment, DECA Games, Crystal Dynamics, and Dark Horse Media.

Limited Run Games is a video game distributor that generally releases physical copies of digital-only games, though exclusively on its site. Singtrix is a company that focuses on creating new technology for karaoke machines, while Tuxedo Labs and Bitwave Games are small indie game studios.

Tripwire Interactive is a larger video game studio that developed popular games like Killing Floor and Maneater. Tatsujin is Embracer’s first studio in Japan and is known for working on titles such as Snow Bros and Truxton. Gioteck is a company that centers on gaming accessory brands.

Embracer Group agreed with Middle-earth Enterprises to acquire the IP rights for the literary works by J.R.R. Tolkien; these literary works include the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings novels and The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings series is one of the most lucrative media franchises in the world, with the recent Shadow of Mordor video games becoming very popular among fans. It’s unknown how this acquisition will affect Middle-earth games currently in production like Gollum.

The new operating group called Embracer Freemode will be the 11th within Embracer. Freedom will focus on retro/classic/heritage gaming and entertainment, game development and production, devices, gear and collectables, community and e-commerce, new idea and technology incubation, and production services.