The Swedish media group Embracer Group wants the board game publisher Asmodee buy: The deal for around 2,75 billion euros is expected to take place in the first half of next year. With the acquisition, Embracer is entering new territory.
The Embracer Group plans to buy board game giant Asmodee from PAI Partners. The total for the deal is 2,75 billion euros, of which 350 million will apparently go as Asmodees shareholders in the event of a successful deal.
Transaction in months?
The transaction could be completed in the first half of the new year. The plan is to run Asmodee as an independent entrepreneur, so the operational business should not be impaired. So far, this has also been the case with other acquisitions by the Swedish media group.
Asmodee would be the first deal of its kind for the Embracer Group, which previously united video game companies under one roof. The best known include THQ Nordic and Koch Media, but also Saber Interactive and Gearbox Entertainment. Asmodee could become the ninth company under Embracer.
The French board game publisher Asmodee was founded in 1995 and is based in Paris. The company, which also operates a branch here with its subsidiary Asmodee Germany, is now one of the most popular board game companies. Asmodee is particularly known for its licensed board games for brands such as Marvel, The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.
The acquisition of Asmodee by the Embracer Group, of all places, can be seen as a strategically clever move: The Swedish company is thus putting its feelers into the border area between video games and board games. As a game manufacturer, Asmodee has several hybrid game concepts in its portfolio, some of them with a long-term lifespan. A prominent example is the board game The Lord of the Rings - Journey through Middle-earth by Fantasy Flight Games, which works with extensive app support. The new editions of Descent or Will of Madness are similar. These titles are not the only hybrid concepts in Asmodee's sales portfolio - there are at least optional software solutions for other games. With Board Game Arena, Asmodee also operates a range of digital board games.
Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors confirms that mutual synergies are expected. The deal could make Embracer Europe's largest games marketer.
Meanwhile, too Asmodee Germany published a corresponding announcement: It once again makes it clear that the deal has not yet been completed. A quote from Wingefors says: “I am pleased that we have made an offer to welcome Asmodee to our growing group. Asmodee would […]”.
Asmodee CEO Stéphane Carville, who is to continue to manage the business unit together with the top management of the board game manufacturer after the acquisition, is similarly cautious: "I am excited about the prospect of the project to pursue our ambitions with Lars Wingefors and the Embracer Group".
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