Embracer 'Actively Exploring' External Partnerships for the Likes of Saints Row, Deus Ex, TimeSplitters, and More

Embracer Group is spinning disconnected Fellowship Entertainment, a caller concern portion designed to grow The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider, arsenic good arsenic respire caller beingness into immoderate of the company’s dormant video crippled franchises.

In a missive to investors, Lars Wingefors, laminitis and seat of Embracer, said the caller Fellowship Entertainment volition “more actively beryllium exploring” outer partnerships astir its well-known IP, specified arsenic Saints Row, Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex, Red Faction, The Mask, Thief, TimeSplitters.

The proposition is we whitethorn spot caller games successful these franchises, developed by studios that are not nether the Embracer umbrella. Wingefors did not outright corroborate immoderate caller games oregon denote a timeframe for much news, but determination is present anticipation for immoderate of these franchises wherever fans thought determination was none.

Take Saints Row, for example. Earlier this year, Saints Row 1 plan manager Chris Stockman said helium believed the bid was “dead” and that Embracer had “zero ability” to bash thing with the franchise. The one-time Grand Theft Auto rival hasn’t seen a caller introduction since 2022’s ill-fated reboot, Saints Row. It received a mixed reception from fans, with IGN’s Saints Row reappraisal returning a 6/10. “Saints Row delivers nary shortage of shallow sprout 'em up thrills, but it's a precise acquainted and uninspired marque of sandbox fun,” we said astatine the time. Sales were depressed, and developer Volition unopen down successful 2023.

Then there’s Deus Ex. Earlier this year, Deus Ex pb histrion Elias Toufexis branded Embracer "psychopaths," arsenic the hold continued for a caller introduction successful the dormant stealth enactment series. In a station connected X, Toufexis laid retired his enactment docket for 2026, prompting Deus Ex fans to suggest that 1 of his enigma projects mightiness person been a long-awaited caller Deus Ex sequel — thing Toufexis was speedy to unopen down. "...no Deus Ex due to the fact that the radical successful complaint are psychopaths," Toufexis wrote.

Toufexis has been vocal successful enactment of a caller Deus Ex crippled materializing implicit the years, though it has present been a decennary since the accomplishment of 2016's Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. Developed by Eidos Montreal, the crippled arrived connected PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to affirmative reviews.

But alternatively than make a travel up, the adjacent fewer years saw Eidos Montreal enactment to enactment connected Square Enix's failed Marvel's Avengers live-service game, arsenic good arsenic its ain instrumentality connected Guardians of the Galaxy, alongside its continuing relation arsenic a enactment workplace for the Tomb Raider franchise. With these franchises taking priority, Deus Ex fell by the wayside.

Fan excitement for a caller Deus Ex was rekindled aft Square Enix sold Eidos Montreal — and the Deus Ex franchise — to steadfast Embracer, and so a caller crippled successful the bid was reportedly worked connected for 2 years. Alas, this task was reported to person been canned successful 2024 amid Embracer's wide restructuring.

TimeSplitters, too, suffered a crippled cancelation and workplace closure. In 2021, past steadfast Deep Silver yet announced the instrumentality of TimeSplitters, developed by a fig of cardinal archetypal members of Free Radical Design, including founders Steve Ellis and David Doak, astatine a caller workplace acceptable up successful Nottingham, UK. However, successful December 2023, Free Radical unopen down amid the Embracer restructure and the crippled ne'er saw the airy of day.

Will thing travel of this caller propulsion from Embracer? It remains to beryllium seen. But the institution is keen to grow its largest IPs, which includes The Lord of the Rings/Middle-earth and Tomb Raider, and put much successful what it considers to beryllium its triple-A IPs, namechecking Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dead Island, Darksiders, Remnant, and the Metro series.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse, which is owned by Embracer, is rumored to beryllium moving connected a Lord of the Rings role-playing game. We cognize Crystal Dynamics has 2 Tomb Raiders games successful the works. Dead Island 3 is already confirmed, arsenic is Metro 2039. A 3rd crippled successful the Remnant franchise has not been officially announced by Gunfire Games, but it feels similar an inevitability fixed the occurrence of the past one.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].