Embracer Group, the parent company of businesses developing and publishing PC, console, and mobile games with six operative groups including THQ Nordic, Koch Media/Deep Silver, Coffee Stain AB, Amplifier Game Invest, Saber Interactive, and DECA Games announced that three more companies have joined. Embracer Group has entered an agreement to merge with Aspyr Media, Easybrain, and Gearbox Entertainment, the developers of the Borderland series.

We are proud to welcome more talents to our global group. Today we announced that @GearboxOfficial @EasyBrainTeam and @AspyrMedia are all joining our family. Read the full story: https://t.co/yw8cphNJTS pic.twitter.com/h2YXnUW9dE

— Embracer Group (@embracergroup) February 3, 2021

Aspyr Media was bought with a day one purchase price that amounts to $100 million on a cash and debt-free basis. $60 million will be paid in cash with the additional $40 million is paid in newly issued Embracer B shares. Aspyr will be a stand-alone entity under Saber Interactive. Aspyr Media is an independent developer and publisher founded in Austin, Texas, in 1996 by Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch. They specialize in porting and publishing games connecting them to new audiences on all platforms. “I have been a fan of Aspyr for longer than I have been in the industry. 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,” Matthew Karch, CEO, Saber Interactive and Director of the Embracer Board said. “Together we will be able to greatly expand our development and publishing activities here in the U.S. 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.”

Michael Rogers, Co-Founder and CEO, Aspyr said “we are thrilled to join forces with Saber and to become part of the entire Embracer family. 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.”

Easybrain will merge with Embracer Group for a purchase price amounting to $640 million on a cash and debt-free basis plus a maximum of $125 million in additional consideration.  Easybrain is a leading mobile game developer that focuses on advertising-based puzzle and logic games. There have been more than 750 million installs to date with Easybrain’s titles and there are 12 million active users across 15 live games. Oleg Grushevich, CEO and Co-Founder of Easybrain said “we are delighted that Easybrain merges with Embracer. We are extremely proud of the team that brought our business to what it is today, and now we feel it’s time to become part of something bigger. We are positive that our future efforts will contribute greatly to the group results and are excited to be part of such a great group of entrepreneurs under Lars’ leadership.”

In the official press release, Lars Wingefors, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Embracer Group called Easybrain “an extremely experienced and process-driven team with a superior-tech platform and world-class UA capabilities. Easybrain has repeatedly demonstrated the capability to develop, scale globally, and operate category-leading puzzle and logic games. By joining forces with Easybrain, we have meaningfully accelerated Embracer’s mobile and free-to-play business.”

Gearbox Entertainment was purchased to what amounts to $363 million in total, on a cash and debt-free basis. $175 million is paid in newly issued Embracer shares while the residual will be in cash. With this merger, Gearbox will become the seventh operating group as a wholly own subsidiary of Embracer. Randy Pitchford, Gearbox Founder and CEO, will continue to lead Gearbox while he and the employees of Gearbox will jointly become a significant shareholder in Embracer.

Talking about the merge with Embracer Group, Pitchford said “Lar’s vision of Embracer as an allied partner group committed to fueling and accelerating the ambitions of a series of decentralized, successful entrepreneurial member companies while magnifying the collective value and advantages of diversification across the entire group is the most brilliant strategy and design for short, medium, and long-term success in this industry that I have worked in during 30 years. The feeling at Gearbox is that we are just getting started and this transaction is not merely a stimulant for the talent of our employee-owned company, but a propellant for the exciting future we have planned.” “Gearbox is arguably one of the most creative and valuable independent developers in the world,” Wingefors said. “We believe that the resources offered by Embracer will position Gearbox for continued significant growth in the years to come.”