The publisher of Bloomtown and Ember Knights, Twin Sails Interactive, has announced they are breaking away from Embracer Group through a management buyout, the latest to do so. The company shared this news via a blog post, stating they will have “full autonomy and more flexibility,” moving forward to pursue growth and their vision.
Twin Sails had previously been operating under tabletop game publisher Asmodee Group AB, which is owned by Embracer Group. Last year, Embracer had turned Asmodee into a publicly listed company in search of what they called “winning formulas” after the implementation of a brutal restructuring program.
The entire Twin Sails team will remain with the company after the buyout and will continue to be led by current CEO Nicolas Godement, as well as production director Laurent Lichnewsky and marketing director Adrien Rotondo. Godement, in the press release, stated:
This is an exciting new chapter for Twin Sails Interactive. Asmodee provided us with invaluable experience, and we are grateful for the collaboration that helped shape our journey. Now, as an independent publisher, we move forward with confidence, ready to pursue our bold and energized vision for the future.
Asmodee’s CEO Tomas Koegler also spoke, saying this move would help both companies to thrive in their areas of expertise. He stated:
We look forward to Twin Sails Interactive continuing to meet success and innovate, bringing fresh, engaging experiences to players worldwide—and wish them a journey filled with success, creativity, and new opportunities.
This is not the only company to break with Embracer only a few short years after they went on a major spending spree, purchasing developers such as Eidos Montreal, Crystal Dynamics, Gearbox Studios, and Volition to name a few. This large-scale purchasing has been followed predominantly by studio closures and game cancellations, such as the closure of Volition Studios after three decades, following the release of their Saints Row reboot.
Another company to part with the conglomerate on their own terms was Saber Interactive, who structured a similar deal to buy out the publisher and go fully independent. Last year, they saw their game Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2 achieve positive reviews and sales numbers, prompting them to confirm a Space Marine 3 is in development. They also confirmed that previously announced games, such as the Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic Remake, were still in development.
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