Embracer Group enters into agreement to acquire Tripwire Interactive
Embracer Group AB (”Embracer”), through its wholly owned subsidiary Saber Interactive[1], has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares of award-winning US developer and publisher Tripwire Interactive from its four current owners. Tripwire Interactive is well-known for the Killing Floor and Rising Storm series and their recent best-seller Maneater, as well as their publishing division Tripwire Presents.
[1] Acquired through Embracer's wholly owned subsidiary Saber Interactive Inc. and will be part of the Saber Interactive operative group
“Tripwire is a unique studio. Since their founding in 2005, they have grown, through tremendous leadership and vision, into one of the last great independent developers. I have looked up to Tripwire as an example of how to design and execute on games. Saber has Tripwire to thank for many of our own successes and I am proud to welcome them into our family,” said Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive.
“We've known Saber for a while now and are really excited about the opportunity to leverage everything they have to offer. Together we are going to be able to deliver more new Tripwire titles, more often than ever before, as well as ramp up the published titles. We look forward to creating a lot more great games that people will love to play,” said Alan Wilson, Co-Founder and CEO of Tripwire Interactive.
Background and rationale
Founded in 2005 in Roswell, GA, Tripwire has continually developed successful titles, with the Killing Floor series boasting over 35 million players, Rising Storm series over 14 million players and Maneater over 16 million players. Their publishing division, Tripwire Presents, continues to be a major growth area that has strong partnerships with various developers. They recently launched Chivalry 2 which has sold over 2 million units and upcoming titles include Espire 2 (VR) and Deceive Inc. The company has today grown to 113 employees in its Georgia office.
Co-founder and CEO Alan Wilson will stay on in his role and continue to run Tripwire along with Bill Munk, Co-founder and Lead Combat Designer, and David Hensley, Design Director. Co-Founder John Gibson will be pursuing opportunities outside of Tripwire.
The acquisition adds an extremely experienced development group with its collection of four strong franchises: Maneater, Killing Floor, Rising Storm, and Red Orchestra. The group has an exciting AAA title in production, as well as a rapidly-growing publishing division.
Within the Embracer Group, Tripwire Interactive will operate as a subsidiary under the Saber Interactive operative group. Post transaction business will remain as usual with the team focused on developing future projects.
Purchase Price
The parties have agreed not to disclose specific terms due to commercial reasons. The terms and conditions for the acquisition are in line with previous Embracer transactions.
Advisers
BofA Securities is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Tripwire Interactive, and Greenberg Traurig, LLP is serving as Tripwire Interactive’s legal counsel.
Baker & McKenzie LLP is acting as legal advisor and EY is acting as financial and tax advisor to Embracer in the transaction.
For additional information, please contact:
Oscar Erixon, Head of Investor Relations Embracer Group AB (publ)
Tel: + 46 730 24 91 42
Email: oscar.erixon@embracer.com
Beatrice Forsgren, Head of Brand and Communication Embracer Group AB (publ)
Tel: +46 704 52 57 63
E-mail: beatrice.forsgren@embracer.com
Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive
E-mail: karch@saber3d.com
Alan Wilson, CEO of Tripwire Interactive
E-mail: alan@tripwireinteractive.com
About Embracer Group
Embracer Group is a parent company of businesses led by entrepreneurs in PC, console, mobile and board games and other related media. The Group has an extensive catalog of over 850 owned or controlled franchises.
With its head office based in Karlstad, Sweden, Embracer Group has a global presence through its ten operative groups: THQ Nordic, Plaion, Coffee Stain, Amplifier Game Invest, Saber Interactive, DECA Games, Gearbox Entertainment, Easybrain, Asmodee, and Dark Horse. The Group has 120 internal game development studios and is engaging more than 12,750 employees and contracted employees in more than 40 countries.
Embracer Group’s shares are publicly listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm under the ticker EMBRAC B with FNCA Sweden AB as its Certified Adviser; info@fnca.se +46-8-528 00 399.
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For more information, please visit: https://embracer.com