Embracer Group might need Disney’s approval to acquire Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy from Square Enix, Embracer Group’s CEO Lars Wingefors has revealed. Embracer recently announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal from Square Enix for $300 million. The deal includes a big back catalogue of IPs, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and more, but noticeably absent from Embracer’s announcement was any mention of Marvel’s Avengers and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, which were developed by Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal and licensed by Square Enix.In a live stream and spotted by the PlayAvengers subreddit (thanks, TrueTrophies) following the announcement, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors was asked about Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, and if they were included in the acquisition. “All games that have been developed by the studios are included in the transaction,” Wingefors said. “However, a number of external approvals are needed from external parties in order to close this transaction. And potentially licensors, as you’ve mentioned here, could be one of those approvals needed.” Basically, it sounds like Embracer might need Disney’s approval for the deal to go ahead with Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy included.Wingefors was then asked if Embracer would be able to develop future games based on the popular IPs if the deal was to go through with them included. Wingefors said, “I don’t expect any notable commercial agreement relating to the studios or this transaction to be declined by either regulatory parties or business partners. However, that remains to be seen. “I think your question was relating to the two existing games and whether they will still be operated and built upon or changed from existing plans today going forward,” he said. “I think that is the colour I can give you.” Wingefors later added, “we need to wait until closing, unfortunately, to get more colour around IPs and the studios.” Although unlikely, if the deal doesn’t go through with Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy included, we could potentially see these games delisted and their servers closed, though it’s probably in both parties’ best interests to keep these games alive. What are your thoughts on the Embracer/Square Enix deal? Let us know down in the comments.
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