UPDATE: Metro studio 4A Games to remain with Embracer Group, rather than being acquired by Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive

UPDATE (13/09/24, 1:10 PM BST): Embracer Group has now confirmed in a press release that 4A Games and Zen Studios will be sticking with it, with their potential sales to Saber Interactive as part of the $247 million deal announced earlier this year that's seen the latter be sold to Beacon Interactive from the former having been cancelled.

Saber CEO Matt Karch, who wrote in a letter to staff back in March that the company planned to pick up options that would see it acquire and take the Metro and Pinball developers with it, said in a fresh statement to Bloomberg that "it was always our intention to exercise on 4A”, but added "we thought it would be better for all parties” for the studio to remain with Embracer.

Our original story from earlier this year follows below.

You know how we recently learned that Saber Interactive was gaining its independence from the terrifying embrace of Embracer Group? Well, Embracer’s now officially confirmed that the sale has gone through for a quoted sum of $247 million, but its official announcement looks to have cheekily left out telling you that some of the key studios Saber’s taking with it actually seem to be, you know, going with Saber for definite.

Yes, Embracer, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, looks to have forgotten to mention that Saber had successfully called dibs on a couple of extra household gadgets during the corporate gaming version of that inevitable big rush to claim family heirlooms whenever one of your relatives passes away. At least one of the studios in question is pretty well known, too.

Schreier claims that the publisher’s big official announcement of the deal, which you can read here, is “a little misleading”, citing a letter to staff from Saber CEO Matt Karch. “Saber is actually bringing along 4A Games (Metro) and Zen Studios (Pinball) through options, which (combined with liabilities) amounts to a purchase price of around $500 million, as Bloomberg reported last month,” he suggested.

So yes, it looks like both the developers of the Metro series and several Pinball games that I’m sure are very good - even if I can’t say I’ve consulted any pinball enthusiasts on that - will be sticking with Saber, as it picks up the purchase option the announcement does mention. They’d be joining a list of, let me clear my breath, Nimble Giant, Fractured Byte, 3D Realms, New World Interactive, Sandbox Strategies, Slipgate Ironworks, Mad Head Games, and Digic.

If you’re not familiar with all of those names, some of the games the various studios on that list are known for include Nimble Giant’s RTS Star Trek Infinite, New World Interactive’s shooter Insurgency, and 3D Realms’ cyberpunk FPS Ion Fury. Saber itself has recently put out Expeditions: A MudRunner Game - a game about difficulty journeys, and had the likes of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 and the Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic remake - the latter of which has had a development cycle that’s been a difficult journey - in the works.

That said, Embracer's announcement does note that the "long-term license and publishing rights to all current and future PC/console games in the Metro franchise are held within the Embracer operative group PLAION. These rights will not change regardless of whether the option rights are exercised." So, yeah, even if 4A's going to Saber, that's a thing.

Meanwhile, the list of studios that’ll remain with Embracer includes Aspyr, the folks behind the recent releases Tomb Raider I-III Remastered and Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection; Teardown developer Tuxedo Labs; and Beamdog, the studio that created the roguelike Mythforce. Tripwire, 34BigThings, Demiurge, and Shiver Games round out those still in the embrace.

So, there you go.

If you're confused by all of this corporate chat, you can read our Expeditions: A MudRunner Game review, which has far less terrifying vibes, here.