Embracer Group Is Looking To Revive Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, And Thief Franchises

Swedish video game holding (more like grabbing) company Embracer Group apparently has big plans for the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief franchises following its recently-announced acquisition of Eidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal.

All three franchises have had various spinoffs made over the past few years but are now languishing in development limbo. The new Tomb Raider series was put on the backburner in favor of the beleaguered Marvel’s Avengers Online game, Deus Ex’s Mankind Divided failed to meet sales expectations, and the 2014 Thief reboot is all but dead in the water. Embracer, however, is banking on the potential of these iconic franchises once the mergers come through.

“After the end of the quarter, we further strengthened our development capabilities and IP-portfolio by entering into an agreement to acquire Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain and other IPs,” said the company in its 2021-2022 financial report. “The announcement got an overwhelming and positive response. We see a great potential, not only in sequels, but also in remakes, remasters, spinoffs as well as transmedia projects across the Group.”

The acquisition process is expected to close sometime in Q3 2022.