Embracer Group buys rights to The Lord of the Rings

pcinvasion.com:

Embracer Group announced it’s acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises, the Lord of the Rings franchise rights holder. Along with that acquisition, Embracer announced several other buyouts in the gaming space. We have yet to see the effects of Embracer Group’s rampant purchases.

The world is getting smaller every day, and that’s been especially true when it comes to media in general and the games industry. Embracer Group, not unlike The Thing from The Thing, has been absorbing entities at faster rates recently.

The company has been busy this year in particular, already having acquired Square Enix’s western holdings, which include Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montréal. Originally a small Nordic games publisher founded in 2011, Embracer made its first acquisition shortly after and never looked back.

Today’s big news is the LOTR franchise buyout, but several other studios have been taken in as well. In addition to Middle-earth Enterprises, Embracer bought Tripwire, known for Maneater, its first Japanese studio, Tatsujin, the hipster retailer Limited Run Games, and karaoke company Singtrix.

These latter buy-outs show Embracer is beginning to diversify its portfolio in new directions. Entering the Japanese market and acquiring smaller studios is a change for Embracer, which has tended towards larger companies. Embracer also aquired Taoplan and revealed plans to make PC ports for Taoplan’s classic shoot ‘em ups. So for PC gamers itching for some nostalgia, the time-honored saying “I see this as an absolute win” fits here.

Tripwire Interactive Is now part of Embracer Freemode

Alongside the news of The Lord of the Rings franchise buyout, Embracer Group created Embracer Freemode. The new branch seems to be a way to