Last week Embracer Group announced the purchase of several game studios, including Ukrainian 4A Games . The Swedish company has fully acquired this famous game developer and publisher, which is behind the popular Metro series launched in 2010.
The upfront purchase price, paid in cash and newly issued B shares, amounts to approximately $36 million on a cash and debt-free basis. An additional earn-out may reach $35 million, Embracer Group stated.
The Ukrainian studio was acquired through Embracer Group’s subsidiary Saber Interactive.
“With the acquisition of 4A Games, Saber Interactive is locking-up one of the best indie studios in the industry with the potential and capacity to take on another AAA project. Saber solidifies its position as a leader in the CIS and Ukrainian game developer market,” stated Matt Karch, CEO Saber Interactive Inc., Director of the Embracer Group board.
“Together we will continue to build on the Metro franchise and will focus on bringing a multiplayer experience to our fanbase,” added Dean Sharpe, CEO at 4A Games.
Now a top-tier AAA games development studio, 4A Games was founded in 2005 by three former developers of GSC Game World in Kyiv, Ukraine. In 2014, the studio opened a new studio and relocated headquarters to Malta. The team today consists of more than 150 people.
Within Saber Interactive, 4A Games will continue operating as an independent studio, strengthening Saber’s development capabilities in Ukraine.
The two companies are already collaborating on an “entirely new project” that “combines the AAA production values of 4A Games and Saber’s experience on multiplayer and live operations.”
