Embracer Group has provided an update on some of its immediate plans, with the financially embattled company exploring further synergies with its large publishing arm, Asmodee. In its “Year in Brief 22/23,” Embracer Group had a section entitled “Realizing Transmedia Opportunities for Asmodee and Dark Horse,” which is essentially an acknowledgement for the further exploration of video game products based on the widely successful Asmodee tabletop experiences.
Embracer Takes a Harder Look at Board Games Synergy
Embracer Group explained seeking such synergies with the fact that there are many video games today that have been inspired by comic books, television, and movies, and not least, the tabletop hobby. The group argued that it is constantly on the lookout to “cross-fertilize IPs” although it acknowledged that most of its IPs are based on PC and console. This doesn’t mean however that the tabletop vertical could not bear fruit.
The division performed well in the company’s most recent financial update and Embracer is keener to ensure that it continues to derive value from what is a strong IP. After all, Warhammer, one of the most popular tabletop skirmish games, is getting its own screen adaptation featuring Henry Cavil.
Moving forward, Embracer Group is similarly keen to transport the tabletop hobby to the realm of PC/Console gaming. The group sees in this an opportunity for organic growth and growth by acquisition. There may be as many as 25 video game projects that can be derived from Asmodee’s existing IPs, for one. Some of the IPs owned by the Group include Ticket to Ride, Splendor, Azul, Exploding Kittens, Dobble/Spot It!, Star Wars Legion, Catan, and Azul, among others.
In terms of actual subsidiaries, Asmodee is in charge of Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and other established publishing houses in the board games hobby, such as Lookout Games, Fantasy Flight Games, Catan Studio, Days of Wonder, and not least – Z-Men Games.
Layoffs, Tackling Debt, and Asmodee’s Sturdy Performance
In the meantime, Embracer Group announced layoffs earlier this month, putting some 17,000 employees on notice as part of a major restructuring effort designed to help tackle the group’s ballooning debt of $1.45 billion. The company is now facing choppier financial seas as it is executing its plan to cull video games studios.
Asmodee was acquired by Embracer Group in March 2022 in a deal amounting to $3.1 billion, one of the largest in the industry. In terms of presence in the board games industry, Embracer Group has 2,582 working in this vertical along with 22 internal studios and the segment accounting for 35% of its group sales. Asmodee sells 40 million games annually across 50 countries according to the company’s Annual Report.