What studio acquisitions do you predict we could see this year and why?

[burningdoom]

Hello hello hello

Embracer acquires Limited Run Games, Singtrix, Middle-Earth Enterprises (LotR and Hobbit IPs), Tuxedo Labs, Tripwire Interactive, Tatsujin, Bitwave Games, and Gioteck; along with an undisclosed game company

Embracer also stands up an 11th operating group Freemode

https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-limited-run-games/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-singtrix/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-ip-rights-to-the-lord-of-the-rings-and-the-hobbit-literary-works-by-j-r-r-tolkien/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-tuxedo-labs/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-tripwire-interactive/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-announces-the-11th-operating-group-embracer-freemode/

LRG is literally the only company named up there I have heard of.

[ignition365]

Hello hello hello

Embracer acquires Limited Run Games, Singtrix, Middle-Earth Enterprises (LotR and Hobbit IPs), Tuxedo Labs, Tripwire Interactive, Tatsujin, Bitwave Games, and Gioteck; along with an undisclosed game company

Embracer also stands up an 11th operating group Freemode

https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-limited-run-games/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-an-agreement-to-acquire-singtrix/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-ip-rights-to-the-lord-of-the-rings-and-the-hobbit-literary-works-by-j-r-r-tolkien/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-acquires-tuxedo-labs/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-enters-into-agreement-to-acquire-tripwire-interactive/
https://embracer.com/release/embracer-group-announces-the-11th-operating-group-embracer-freemode/

LRG is literally the only company named up there I have heard of.

Surely you've heard of Lord of the Rings?  I mean, I've never seen/read/etc anything JRR Tolkien, but even I've heard of it.

Also, IIRC badatchaos works (worked?) at Tripwire

[Cartagia]

You've may have never heard of Middle-Earth Enterprises, but it is the general license holder for nearly all of the Tolkien / Middle-Earth works.  Almost anything LotR related you've seen since 1968 has involved this company.

[burningdoom]

You've may have never heard of Middle-Earth Enterprises, but it is the general license holder for nearly all of the Tolkien / Middle-Earth works.  Almost anything LotR related you've seen since 1968 has involved this company.

Oh, wow. I thought it just meant Lord of the Rings games.

[weirdfeline]

Meta has acquired a PlayStation second party, Xbox second party and a former Xbox first party today. Camouflaj, Armature and Twisted Pixel.

[weirdfeline]

SEGA is apparently acquiring Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, for one billion. Seems like a huge mistake.

[telekill]

SEGA is apparently acquiring Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, for one billion. Seems like a huge mistake.

Agreed. Sega has had some great successes over the last couple years, but Angry Birds feels... far less relevant these days. Definitely not worth a billion dollars. It seems like old Sega making horrible decisions again.

Good Sega decisions would be using that billion for a new...
 - Saturn compilation on modern systems
 - Comix Zone in the vein of Streets of Rage 4
 - Shenmue 4

... I could go on, but there are far better ways to spend the money than... Angry Birds.

[ignition365]

From what Ive heard the rumors are baseless, but we'll see.

[dhaabi]

SEGA is apparently acquiring Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds, for one billion. Seems like a huge mistake.

Is important to note that this potential transaction is from the parent company Sega Sammy, not the developer Sega.

For years, Sega has developed video game software, whereas Sammy has focused on manufacturing pachinko and pachislot games. If acquiring Rovio is actually planned, it is almost certainly being done with the latter type of games in mind.

With that said, is such an acquisition worth $1 billion? I would say no, but I'm also not a financial investor for a multi-billion dollar corporation.

[redblaze57]

Activision bought King games (Candy Crush Saga) back in 2016 for 5.9 billion...

So maybe 1 billion for Rovio isn't bad, but it looks like they really only have Angry Birds as far as IP's go.

[weirdfeline]

Well it happened. Quite a bit less than a billion instead at $775 million. I don't know why SEGA needs them for "Global Expansion of the Consumer Business through Enhancement of Mobile Gaming Capabilities" when they seem to have had a pretty good grasp at mobile gaming with several successful Sonic titles but they got it.

In 2019 the relatively well received The Angry Birds Movie 2 made just $152.8 million with a $65 million production budget.

Reading more into apparently Rovio had $342.2 million in revenue last year mainly from games. So maybe something as simple as a Sonic Angry Birds would actually make sense?

[ignition365]

https://www.gematsu.com/2023/04/epic-games-acquires-horizon-chase-studio-aquiris
Epic Games has acquired Horizon Chase series developer Aquiris

[ignition365]

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/04/19/2650476/0/en/Atari-Announces-Acquisition-of-More-than-100-PC-and-Console-Titles-from-the-80s-and-90s.html

Current Atari re-acquires a lot of properties that OG Atari sold off back in the early oughts from Billionsoft.

[ignition365]

Acquisition heavy week apparently
https://blog.playstation.com/2023/04/20/welcoming-firewalk-studios-to-the-playstation-studios-family/

[telekill]

I checked and it doesn't look like Firewalk Studios has yet to release anything. They have a "vision" of a multiplayer game they're supposedly making. Sounds like they want to be another Fortnite or Destiny but to be fair, I don't think we've seen anything about the game. Their promise seems to stem from the talent at the studio who's range comes from various AAA releases including Mass Effect.