Embracer reportedly selling KOTOR remake studio Saber Interactive
Embracer Group is planning to sell Saber Interactive, developers of the Star Wars KOTOR remake, in a deal worth up to $500 million, a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier says. A person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the deal told Schreier that, if the deal goes through, Saber would become a privately-owned company with approximately 3,500 employees and would continue development of the troubled Star Wars game.
Embracer purchased Saber Interactive for $550 million in 2020.
The news comes after months of layoffs from Embracer, as the company – and its employees – grapple with the consequences of CEO Lars Wingefors purchasing over two dozen studios during the Covid-19 pandemic on the assumption that a multi-billion dollar deal with the Saudi Arabian government would help cover the costs. That deal fell through, and Embracer has since implemented drastic cost-cutting measures that resulted in hundreds of layoffs, canceled projects, and studio closures.
In a tweet reply, Schreier suggested that other studio sales could follow, including Gearbox, and said the Saber deal includes the option to bring along “several” of Embracer’s subsidiaries. He also said that Saints Row maker Volition was up for sale in 2023, though the deal fell through, and Embracer closed Volition instead.
Saber Interactive has offices around the world, with internal development studios responsible for the likes of Evil Dead and World War Z and support studios that assist other developers and port games across multiple platforms. The Witcher 3 on Switch and several other large-scale projects that brought AAA games to Nintendo’s handheld happened in large part thanks to Saber.
Schreier didn’t say when the deal is expected to close.
