Embracer Group acquires IP rights to Lord of the Rings, Killing Floor 2 Dev and more

Embracer Group, the official holding company of THQ Nordic and numerous other studios, has made a name for itself in the games industry with a series of aggressive acquisitions, and it looks like this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. Having acquired a new set of gaming studios and key intellectual property, Embracer will continue to expand its reach across virtually every facet of gaming.

But what makes Embracer Group’s recent round of acquisitions particularly important is that it adds that Lord of the rings IP into its portfolio. In fact, it’s now possible that THQ Nordic is working on producing new ones Lord of the rings games in the future, but that’s just a small part of the broader list of changes and investments the company has made of late.

RELATED: Embracer Group is creating a game archive to preserve game history

While Embracer announced its plans for more acquisitions a few months ago, few could have expected them to be so comprehensive. Embracer Group has just announced through official press releases that it has acquired Tripwire Interactive, Limited Run Games, Singtrix, Tuxedo Labs, Bitwave Games and Gioteck, giving them access to a wealth of established game series such as Killing Floor 2. Embracer has also acquired Tatsujin, the company’s first Japanese studio, implying a desire to expand the company’s portfolio even more to cover as many gaming niches as possible.

The list of everything belonging to the Embracer Group has therefore been fundamentally updated once again. The company can now draw on a wide variety of intellectual property in almost every niche and genre. The press release also indicates that there is another gaming company that Embracer will acquire in the near future, although its identity has not yet been revealed for commercial reasons.

Embracer also took this opportunity to announce its 11th operating group: the so-called Embracer Freemode. This branch will mostly focus on retro and classic games, which could tie in with older news that Embracer is working on its own game launcher that should also lean heavily into the classic video game niche. Given the company’s list of investments, it’s highly likely that it won’t stop expanding its real estate list just yet and wants to position itself as one of the industry leaders.

With over 150 games in development at Embracer Group, it’s not impossible to see the holding company rise above its relatively humble AA roots. While THQ Nordic itself appears to remain focused on mid-range titles with blockbuster leanings such as Alone in the dark, Embracer now has access to projects that are both smaller and vastly larger than when we started. Last but not least, the newly discovered access to the Lord of the rings IP should make things interesting in the relatively near future.

MORE: Future of Marvel’s Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy uncertain after Embracer Group purchase