News

Embracer Group picks up Aspyr Media for potential $450m

$100 million, plus up to $350 million in bonuses

Date Type Companies involved Size
February 3rd, 2021 acquisition Embracer Group Not disclosed
Embracer Group picks up Aspyr Media for potential $450m

Saber Interactive, a subsidiary of Embracer Group, is set to acquire Aspyr Media in a deal worth up to $450m.

The initial purchase weighs in at $100m, with $60m paid in cash and the remaining $40m given in B shares. An additional $350 in bonuses may be added if Apsyr hits specific revenue targets.

Aspyr Media is best known for its mobile and MacOS ports of popular gaming franchises, including Borderlands, Call of Duty, Star Wars, and Sid Meier's Civilization. The company has also recently branched out into porting titles onto the Nintendo Switch.

Embracer is on an acquisition spree currently; the company also announced the purchase of Borderlands developer Gearbox Software for an eye-watering $1.3 billion earlier today.

“I have been a fan of Aspyr for longer than I have been in the industry,” said Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive and a director of the Embracer Board, in a statement.

“Michael and Ted are true entrepreneurs that have built a business by identifying and exploiting opportunity where no one else saw it. They are a perfect fit for Embracer and I am proud to now call them partners. Together we will be able to greatly expand our development and publishing activities here in the US. Stay tuned for details on some of the amazing games we have under joint development. Today is a truly amazing day for Saber and the entire Group.”

Aspyr CEO Michael Rogers added: "We are thrilled to join forces with Saber and to become part of the entire Embracer family,” said  in a statement. “We are confident that Embracer is the ideal partner for us as we look to accelerate growth and execute on our exciting pipeline.

"We have been in the games industry for two and a half decades, but it feels like we are just getting started. We look forward to exploring opportunities to collaborate with other entrepreneurs within the wider Embracer Group to bring celebrated games to our fellow gamers around the world.”


Editor

Danielle Partis is editor of PocketGamer.biz and former editor of InfluencerUpdate.biz. She was named Journalist of the Year at the MCV Women in Games Awards 2019, as well as in the MCV 30 under 30 2020. Prior to Steel Media, she wrote about music and games at Team Rock.