A new statement reveals that the Square Enix Tomb Raider franchise has been sold for $300 million. The Japanese video game publisher has hinted it would invest the proceeds in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and blockchain technologies.
Square Enix’s subsidiary Crystal Dynamics developed the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy which generated $92 million in sales in its fiscal year ending March 2021. Aside from Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Interactive own intellectual properties like Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain.
Both firms’ shares will transfer to Sweden-based Embracer Group AB, with the arrangement scheduled between July and September of this year.
Embracer Group AB
Embracer Group AB publishes PC, console, mobile, and board games, as well as other media. They also own the following:
- THQ Nordic
- Koch Media
- Coffee Stain
- Amplifier Game Invest
- Saber Interactive
- DECA Games
- Gearbox Entertainment
- Easybrain
- Asmodee
- Dark Horse
Besides, the ones from the list, the Sweden-based company also owns over 850 studios.
Embracer employs approximately 12,500 people across 119 internal game production teams and plans to finalize its most recent deal by September 2022.
Square Enix Tomb Raider
The Tomb Raider franchise sold over 88 million units since its inception in 1996. The rebooted trilogy of Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadows of the Tomb Raider accounted for roughly 40% of total sales. The remainder comes from sales of the original game.
Over 53 million paid mobile downloads from titles such as Lara Croft: Relic Run also contributed to the franchise’s success.
Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda previously detailed plans for blockchain integration at the start of the year. The CEO sees the development of play-to-earn blockchain games as a significant pillar of growth for the industry. He predicts that 2022 will serve as a year of increased enthusiasm for the metaverse.