As of today (May 2), Tomb Raider is officially under new management. Square Enix, which has been publishing TR games since 2010, has sold three major Western studios, as well as at least four major franchises, to a company called Embracer Group. Furthermore: Square Enix did this precisely because it wanted to free up more money to invest in blockchain technology. The deal will net Square Enix $300 million in full.
To learn about the acquisitions firsthand, you can see a press release from Embracer Groupas well as a share transfer agreement from Square Enix. The bottom line is that Square Enix has sold three of its studios to Embracer: Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal. Embracer has also acquired the rights to the Tomb Raider, Deux Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain franchises, along with “more than 50 back catalog games from Square Enix.”
In practice, it’s hard to know how this will affect any games currently in development, including the latest Tomb Raider game. Embracer will determine how many resources each studio is worth, and that could be different from what Square Enix had in mind, for better or worse. At present, Embracer also owns a number of other publishing houses and studios, including THQ Nordic, Deep Silver, Coffee Stain and Gearbox. There appears to be a wide range of support, from titles with big budgets to freelance darlings. A big series like Tomb Raider, at least, will probably get you what you need.
Arguably the most interesting part of the deal is why Square Enix wants to offload these three studios. According to its share transfer agreement:
“The transaction enables the launch of new businesses by moving forward with investments in areas including blockchain, artificial intelligence, and cloud.” Square Enix promised to provide more detailed information about its blockchain plans on May 13.
This isn’t the first time Square Enix has expressed interest in blockchain technology. Back in JanuaryThe company president envisioned the future of gaming as a hot spot for NFTs, and recently reiterated his comments two weeks ago. However, NFTs have proven not very popular in console games so far. Ubisoft, for example, faced intense backlash For trying to incorporate this blockchain technology into Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
It’s not clear why Square Enix wants to invest heavily in blockchain, or why it’s willing to give up one of its most popular franchises in order to do so. But we’ll know more on May 13th, even if we don’t like the answers at the end.
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