Square Enix puts Tomb Raider, its studio and much more up for sale in favor of new blockchain projects

The Swedish conglomerate Embracer Group (formerly THQ Nordic AB) touts itself as taking an increasingly eponymous role in the production and distribution of gaming assets. It has already engulfed Dark Horse, Easybrain and Asmodee, and is thus associated with franchises including Saints Row, Borderlands, Darksiders, and Goat Simulator. Now, it has turned similar attention on titles classically linked to Square Enix.

The Group has confirmed reports of its agreement to acquire the IP for games that include legacy titles such as Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex and Thief in addition to Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider. They are to be off-loaded along with 50 more "back-catalog" games, thought to include the oft-benighted Marvel Studios IP.

On that note, their studios' (Square Enix Montréal and Eidos-Montréal included) staff members may also have a change of employer soon. None of this is final at present, however, although Embracer Group has already revealed that it will hand about US$300 million over to the seller should the deal go though.

Square Enix' publicly-stated plans for all of that money has led to speculation that it has offloaded all those titles in order to pivot into new NFT- and metaverse-related projects instead - which, in the face of subsequent news, just might end up backfiring on the company (not financial advice).

Those projected eventualities are not set in stone as yet. However, it is more certain that Embracer Group intends to "maximize" the "commercial opportunities" to be had from its potential new bumper crop of acquisitions.

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