The Embracer Group has revealed that one of its unannounced games has undergone a regime change. Said to be a ‘triple-A project,’ the game in question has switched from one unnamed developer to another.
“One of the Group’s triple-A projects has transitioned to another studio within the Group,” wrote Embracer in a press release. “This was done to ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title.”
The unnamed game may wind up being the remake to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR for short). In late July, it was reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that the upcoming remake from developer Aspyr (which became an Embracer subsidiary in 2021) was put on hold following a vertical slice presentation to development partners said to not meet expectations.
A week following that vertical slice, Aspyr reportedly fired art director Jason Minor and design director Brad Prince. Aspyr is said to now be pursuing new contracts
Included in Schreier’s report was the possibility of Saber Interactive completely taking over developer duties. Saber was already supporting Aspyr with the remake as of this past spring, as it was deemed by Embracer to be a “massive product.”
Originally announced as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, the KOTOR remake is said to have 2025 as a “realistic target” for release.
Whether or not it’s the KOTOR remake, Embracer has stressed that the game wouldn’t expect any “material delays.”
Embracer is embracing so many IP and studios
It’s been quite a day for the Embracer Group. Earlier today, it was announced that the Swedish giant made six acquisitions for a total price of $788 million. Four of those were buyouts: Tripwire Interactive (The Killing Floor, Maneater), physical game publisher Limited Run, vocal processing effects company Singtrix, and Tuxedo Labs (Teardown) are all now part of Embracer.
Another company in the PC and console games space was acquired by Embracer, though its identity is currently unclear. “The purchase price for this un-disclosed acquisition is in the range of being among either third or fourth largest of the Transactions,” wrote Embracer. “The consideration and financial impact from this un-disclosed acquisition is included in the disclosed numbers in this press release.”
Finally, Embracer bought Middle-earth Enterprises, meaning it owns the worldwide IP rights to both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. This covers films, theme parks, video games, and so on. Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors has already said that acquiring the rights is “opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group.”