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PayPalEmbracer Group are quite terrifying. The amount of power they have in the gaming industry is simply insane and now they're swallowing up more studios and even the full rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Announced across multiple press releases today they've put out their intention to acquire:
- Limited Run Games - who make physical releases for collectors. This deal will also include something called "Carbon Engine", which is a tech they developed "that allows legacy content and retro games to be effortlessly put out in highly accurate, emulation-based ports for modern platforms".
- Singtrix - an award-winning creator of industry leading vocal processing effects technology for karaoke, gaming, and entertainment.
- Middle-earth Enterprises - so they will own the full worldwide rights to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit and other Middle-earth-related works across motion pictures, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks and stage productions. So they won't own the actual literary works, just the IP rights to do basically anything with them.
- Tuxedo Labs - they made the pretty awesome game Teardown.
- Tripwire Interactive - developed the Killing Floor and Rising Storm games.
How long before Embracer Group buy up the rest of the internet? I'm expecting a knock on the door soon, kidding of course.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
I wonder how long till the anti-monopoly laws will stop them?
7 Likes, Who?
StoneColdSpider Aug 18, 2022
Quoting: ZlopezI wonder how long till the anti-monopoly laws will stop them?
Im sure they have a team of lawyers ready to unleash to keep that pesky law at bay......
6 Likes, Who?
Quoting: ZlopezI wonder how long till the anti-monopoly laws will stop them?
Too many giants around for that. In fact, for now I'd say Sony and Microsoft would be the first to be targeted for that sort of thing because they have two sides of the coin.
The big thing here is probably the Middle Earth stuff, which would give them the opportunity to do quite a few games in a relatively popular franchise.
4 Likes, Who?
Gah! My Tolkien!
Well, mind you, I have no particular reason to imagine the Embracer/Extender/Extinguisher Group will do a worse job with Tolkien IP than the Saul Zaentz company.
Anyway, it seems like Middle-earth Enterprises' rights are not as complete as I initially thought. From Wiki:
Seems like they have the movie rights, and rights to character names, and merch, but probably not video game rights, basically because video games didn't exist in 1968 when Tolkien sold the rights.
Other limitations on Middle-earth Enterprises' rights (they extend only to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) may partly explain why the big new series from Amazon is taking place during the time period before LoTR takes place, in late Silmarillion territory.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 18 August 2022 at 9:59 am UTC
Well, mind you, I have no particular reason to imagine the Embracer/Extender/Extinguisher Group will do a worse job with Tolkien IP than the Saul Zaentz company.
Anyway, it seems like Middle-earth Enterprises' rights are not as complete as I initially thought. From Wiki:
QuoteIn November 2012, the Tolkien Estate, trustee and publishers sued Middle-earth Enterprises (in addition to Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema) for infringing Tolkien's copyrights by producing casino and video games using his characters. The original license to Tolkien's works was limited to the right to sell "tangible" products such as "figurines, tableware, stationery items, clothing, and the like", but did not cover "electronic or digital rights, rights in media yet to be devised or other intangibles such as rights in services"
Seems like they have the movie rights, and rights to character names, and merch, but probably not video game rights, basically because video games didn't exist in 1968 when Tolkien sold the rights.
Other limitations on Middle-earth Enterprises' rights (they extend only to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) may partly explain why the big new series from Amazon is taking place during the time period before LoTR takes place, in late Silmarillion territory.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 18 August 2022 at 9:59 am UTC
3 Likes, Who?
I read that they also own the Deus-Ex franchise, and are working on/planning a resurrection of it. I for one look forward to see what that may foster!
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/new-deus-ex-game-studio-cyberpunk-2077-rival/
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/new-deus-ex-game-studio-cyberpunk-2077-rival/
3 Likes, Who?
BlackBloodRum Aug 18, 2022
For some reason, I read "Tripwire" from the article title as the security company (The one who makes IDS systems and such). 
1 Likes, Who?
EA, Epic and a bunch of other companies that slip my mind have done the same thing over the years. I don't particularly like it either.
Even Valve who I have more respect for have bought up Campo Santo the other year, I'm not sure if they've gobbled any more up.
Even Valve who I have more respect for have bought up Campo Santo the other year, I'm not sure if they've gobbled any more up.
0 Likes
Feels like in a year or two, Embracer and Microsoft will own all of gaming.
1 Likes, Who?
Craggles086 Aug 18, 2022
Quoting: RaabenFeels like in a year or two, Embracer and Microsoft will own all of gaming.
Doesn’t China own Tencent? Not sure Embracer and Microsoft can get their hands on everything.
Last edited by Craggles086 on 19 August 2022 at 8:28 am UTC
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