Embracer Group Splits; Fellowship Entertainment to Revive Dormant Gaming Franchises
In a major restructuring move, Embracer Group is dividing into two separate entities. Fellowship Entertainment will take charge of a portfolio of long-dormant video game intellectual properties, with plans to revive them through remasters, new titles, reimaginings, and cross-media adaptations.
"The vault is opening: Deus Ex, Saints Row, TimeSplitters, Thief, Red Faction, and Legacy of Kain are all set for reactivation."
The Properties in Question
Fellowship Entertainment will oversee a significant catalog that includes major active franchises such as Lord of the Rings, Tomb Raider, Metro, Kingdom Come, and Dead Island. However, the headline focus is on its "vault" of older brands.
Planned Activations Include:
- Deus Ex: A remaster of the original game is reportedly in development. This follows the cancellation of a new Deus Ex project at Eidos-Montreal after two years of work.
- Legacy of Kain: The franchise has already seen a sequel remaster collection in 2024, along with Legacy of Kain: Ascendance (a new 2D action game) and a remastered version of Defiance.
- Saints Row: The series has not seen a new release since the 2022 reboot (often referred to as Saints Row V).
- Thief: The franchise has been inactive since the 2014 reboot.
- TimeSplitters & Red Faction: Both properties remain in deep hibernation, awaiting new projects.
Development Strategy
Fellowship Entertainment plans to work exclusively with third-party developers for these revivals. This is a critical detail, as the developer of the Saints Row reboot, Volition, is no longer operational. The organization is expected to license out these IPs to external studios.
Current Status of Key Studios
While the vault gets attention, the owners of the primary IPs are also moving forward:
- Eidos-Montreal (Deus Ex, Thief) and Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider) are both in concept phases for new games. Specific projects have not yet been officially announced.
The key takeaway: Embracer Group is formally separating its active, cash-flowing franchises from its dormant "vault" of beloved but inactive IPs. The mandate for Fellowship Entertainment is clear: turn these sleeping giants into active revenue streams.