In addition to game developers, the Embracer Group has also bought the rights to “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”.
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The rights to Tolkien’s works are transferred to the Swedish holding company Embracer Group.
© New Line Cinema
Swedish media and video game holding company Embracer Group embarked on a major buying spree this week. The parent company of Nordic Games GmbH has secured the rights to JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” (with the exception of the book rights, which are held by Harper Collins). The Embracer Group now has control over merchandising, video games, board games, stage productions and theme parks related to Gandalf and Co. This also includes the “Lord of the Rings” series “The Rings of Power”, which will be released on September 2nd, 2022 starts at Amazon Video.
More Tolkien films conceivable
The acquisition could also result in more films from the English writer’s fantasy universe in the future. As the Embracer Group confirmed, films are included
“iconic figures like Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel and Eowyn”
conceivable. However, there are no concrete plans for further Tolkien films.
Embracer Group buys game studios
The publishing group Embracer Group operates more than 100 game development studios worldwide. In recent years, the holding company has acquired the rights to works from various publishers, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Thief. This week, the publishing group is also acquiring four other companies: Limited Run Games, home karaoke system Singtrix, Tuxedo Labs and Tripwire. The latter studio was able to make a name for itself with titles such as “Killing Floor”, “Maneater” and “Rising Storm”. The acquisitions made this week have a total value of 577 million euros. Embracer has also made a sixth purchase, but no details are given for “commercial reasons”.
