Embracer Group is reportedly selling Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive for $500 million

Promotional screenshot of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
(Image credit: Focus Entertainment)

What you need to know

  • According to a report from Bloomberg, Embracer Group is selling Saber Interactive to a group of private investors for $500 million. 
  • Saber Interactive is a large publisher and developer, consisting of numerous studios around the world working on games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. 
  • Embracer Group continues to struggle financially, with the company laying off hundreds of workers and closing multiple studios over the past year.

One big company is breaking away away from Embracer Group. 

Embracer Group is selling developer and publisher Saber Interactive to a group of private investors for $500 million, per a report from Bloomberg, The deal will see Saber Interactive become a privately owned company with around 3,500 employees in different studios around the world. 

Saber Interactive, first acquired by Embracer Group for $150 million in 2020, provides support work on a large number of games, and is also the lead developer on two big upcoming titles. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is slated to launch on Sep. 9, 2024, while the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake does not currently have a release date, but is still in development according to Bloomberg. Saber Interactive took over the remake after Embracer Group took the project away from Aspyr. 

When I asked Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier if the deal included every team at Saber Interactive, including subsidiaries like Metro developer 4A Games, he responded by saying it would include "most but not all" and that some of the specifics weren't clear yet. 

What does this mean for Saber Interactive games?

The gaming industry is in turmoil right now, but Embracer Group in particular is slashing costs left and right, laying off hundreds of workers across studios like Eidos Montreal and closing down teams like Volition, the latter of which is now reborn as an independent team called Shapeshifter Games

With Saber Interactive breaking away, it seems like this team will have some financial security for at least a short while. Being owned by a private group also means escaping the ever-escalating demands of public shareholders, which could alleviate some financial stress.

Analysis: A spot of good news

Obviously things can twist and turn without warning, but in the short term, I'm less worried about the future of Saber Interactive. At bare minimum, the team won't be subjected to mindless cost-cutting by Embracer Group after the latter failed to secure investment from the Saudi-owned Savvy Games group.

I'm looking forward to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 when it launches in September, and I'll dare to hope that the Knights of the Old Republic remake actually has a small chance of launching now. It won't be anytime soon, and it's a marginal change, but right now, coming off the back of layoffs and studio closures at now only Embracer Group but also Electronic Arts, PlayStation, and many others, any good news is a serious breath of fresh air.

TOPICS
CATEGORIES
Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.

Read more
A marine aims at a Tzaangor Enlightened in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
As Space Marine 2 crosses 6 million players, Games Workshop is looking for the next big Warhammer 40,000 game
Three marines standing in front of a purple energy obelisk in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
One of 2024's best games is getting a sequel, but it may be a while before we learn more
Naoe overlooks feudal Japan in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Ubisoft's assets may be broken up as founders seek deal with major Chinese publisher
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Cloud Image
Rumors say Final Fantasy 7 Remake is coming to Xbox in 2025 — as more Xbox games head to PS5 and Nintendo
Wonder Woman Game
Warner Bros. Games shuts down Wonder Woman developer Monolith Productions in latest gaming purge
Kerbal Space Program
Kerbal Space Program 2 hasn't had an ounce of content added for over a year, but the current owners still think it's worth $50
Latest in Gaming
Atomfall
Can I play Atomfall on Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and other gaming handhelds?
The Thing: Remastered key art
The Thing comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming's "Stream Your Own Game" library alongside other new arrivals
Promotional screenshot of heroes fighting a giant in Pillars of Eternity
Obsidian's classic Baldur's Gate successor 'Pillars of Eternity' is getting a surprise turn-based mode later this year, alongside other updates
Atomfall
Atomfall reviews and Metacritic scores are in: Here's a roundup of what everyone's saying about this new Game Pass survival game
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game
Cover art for Heroes of the Storm.
Xbox Game Pass will give you more benefits in free-to-play games like Heroes of the Storm
Latest in News
Cloud servers
Microsoft has killed "several" data center projects in the U.S. and Europe, according to reports — Microsoft responds (Updated)
Photo of Microsoft's new sign-in page for Xbox.com using the Microsoft Edge browser.
Over one billion users will get a new Microsoft user experience, and it has a dark mode
The Thing: Remastered key art
The Thing comes to Xbox Cloud Gaming's "Stream Your Own Game" library alongside other new arrivals
Promotional screenshot of heroes fighting a giant in Pillars of Eternity
Obsidian's classic Baldur's Gate successor 'Pillars of Eternity' is getting a surprise turn-based mode later this year, alongside other updates
Atomfall
Atomfall reviews and Metacritic scores are in: Here's a roundup of what everyone's saying about this new Game Pass survival game
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game