Source: Embracer plans to sell its subsidiary Saber Interactive to private investors in a $500M deal, making Saber a privately-owned company with ~3,500 staff
Embracer acquired Saber in 2020 in a deal valued at up to $525 million; the reported divestiture would unwind a major part of that earlier Saber acquisition. It follows Embracer’s broader retrenchment, which included planned studio closures, game cancellations and job cuts after a major transaction fell through.
The move is part of a shift from a broad studio roll-up toward a more segmented portfolio. Subsequent coverage of a planned three-company split reinforces that Embracer is reorganizing ownership and operating focus rather than simply adding studios.
First-order effects
Saber would leave Embracer’s ownership and operate as a privately owned company with roughly 3,500 staff, while continuing work on Knights of the Old Republic.
Embracer would exchange a large operating subsidiary for the reported $500 million consideration, narrowing the group it must manage during its restructuring.
Second-order effects
Saber’s private investors would assume responsibility for funding and overseeing its development slate, separating those projects from Embracer’s capital-allocation decisions.
For Embracer’s remaining studios, the sale signals that portfolio rationalization can include disposals as well as the previously reported closures and cancellations, increasing the importance of each unit’s strategic fit.
Third-order effects
If similar separations continue, large game holding companies may shift from acquisition-led expansion toward smaller, more independently financed studio groups.
The case illustrates how private ownership can become an exit route for sizable development teams when conglomerate structures are reworked, though the durability of that model depends on project execution and financing.
The trend: Game-industry consolidation is being followed by portfolio unwinding, with owners separating studios to reduce complexity and restore focused operating models.
@RJeremy88 I think Saber being independent won't really change anything. If anything they have more control over who they're working with - Embracer needs the money and that way they can still get games done with Saber by making a deal (just like other publishers)
lmao we just recorded the Teardown Part 2 episode today, and spent time talking about how worried we were that Tuxedo Labs was acquired by Saber/Embracer. You can't assume safety these days, but I'm a little less worried about the devs of one of my favorite games now.
I'm just gonna say, Embracer will likely have very little influence around the future of remasters even if they sell. The power is with Crystal to reach out to Aspyr/Saber after the deal is done to negotiate the same way Crystal did with Feral & the Lara Croft games for Switch.
I am losing track of all the layoffs and spinoffs in the video game industry. Very weird time for a business that seems so strong. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Somebody finally got out. They are by no means the only studio that Embracer has tried / is trying to sell off but it's a major one. 3500 people though, that has to be a concern. The saga continues. All eyes on Gearbox.
SCOOP: Saber Interactive, developer of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, will leave Embracer in a $500 million deal to become a privately owned company — the biggest move yet in Embracer's ongoing cost-cutting initiative https://www.bloomberg.com/...