Dark Horse Comics acquired by video game giant Embracer Group

Embracer Group acquired Dark Horse, the comics publisher. This acquisition was made by Embracer Group in Sweden. It is the parent company of publishing and development companies Gearbox Software (THQ Nordic), Saber Interactive, Saber Interactive. Saber Interactive, Saber Interactive. Saber Interactive. Saber Interactive. Saber Interactive. Koch Media. Deep Silver. Embracer’s latest acquisition — announced a week after its planned buyout of tabletop game giant Asmodee — adds Dark Horse’s library of more than 300 intellectual properties, the company said in a news release Tuesday.

Buying Dark Horse, Embracer says, “strengthens its transmedia capabilities by adding expertise in content development, comics publishing, and film & TV production.”

“Additionally, there is untapped potential in creating games based on Dark Horse IP and substantial opportunity for synergies within the Embracer group, both within the Dark Horse Comics and Dark Horse Entertainment,” Embracer Group said in a statement.

Dark Horse, the largest publisher of comics in America, is also the owner of several properties. The Mask, Time Cop Ghost. The comics publisher has many licensed properties including Star Wars and Avatar the Last Airbender.

Dark Horse’s business extends beyond comics, and includes film and TV production company Dark Horse Entertainment (Hellboy, The Umbrella AcademyThings From Another World, a collectibles and accessories retailer. Embracer Group says that Dark Horse currently has over 40 entertainment projects under development for Netflix, Syfy Syfy, Syfy, Sony and MGM. Universal Media is also involved.

Embracer Group also announced Tuesday that it would acquire five other companies, including Dark Horse. Other companies include:

• Perfect World Entertainment is the publisher of “the canceled” Magic: LegendsMMOs and other mMOs Neverwinter Star Trek Online.Cryptic Studios (the developer of those games) is part of the agreement. Perfect World will operate as a subsidiary of Gearbox Entertainment, “with a continued focus on publishing and creating games,” Embracer Group said.)
• DIGIC is the animation studio that produces commercial trailers for video games and films for them. Vanguard: The Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Elden Ring, Destiny 2And Halo 4.
• Shiver Entertainment was a game developer who has been involved in the development of Mortal Kombat games and Scribblenauts.
• Spotfilm Networx, an advertising-based video on demand channel network, that, frankly, you probably have never heard of, unless you’re deep into the German AVOD scene.

Embracer Group, previously known as THQ Scandinavia AB, announced earlier this year the acquisitions of Borderlands developer Gearbox Software and Aspyr Media (acquired via Saber Interactive) and Easybrain (a mobile game development company that specializes on puzzle and logic games).

This means that the company has become even bigger after spending the past decade buying game developers and publishers. It’s a consolidation spending spree in line with other video game giants, including Tencent (which just bought Back 4 BloodTurtle Rock) as well as Sony Interactive Entertainment, which acquired Bluepoint Games in 2002, Firesprite Games, Firesprite Housemarque, Nixxes Software (and Valkyrie Entertainment).