What Are Embracer Working On… A Look At Their Studios
Before we get into the look ahead, we need to address the big problem that the Embracer Group has, its CEO Lars Wingefors, the man who insisted on buying up studios, only to then start shutting them down in 2023.
Since 2020, Embracer has purchased outright or purchased the remaining amount of 74 companies, most of which were gaming related, but there are a few outside of that, like Middle-earth Enterprises or Captured Dimensions. When each wave was announced, many gamers thought it was a good thing, some thought it was bad and those inside of the industry like myself, were concerned and we were right to be.
When the company had a deal fall through, that was expected to be worth around $2 Billion USD, rather than the management layer, the CEO and all those folks, who fucked things up, take a pay cut or be punished for running the companies debt up, they decided to fire staff and close down studios.
It is estimated that roughly 5000~ people have been laid off in 2023 across the industry and that is only for those where details were disclosed, some were never revealed and people estimate that number is more than twice that. Embracer account for 20% of that revealed number and again they have not revealed the total count of staff let go. While most layoffs took place within studios, they also closed full studios, including the following:
Plucky Bytes in May 2023
Campfire Cabal in June 2023
Volition in August 2023
Free Radical Design in December 2023
Those studio closures were mostly out of nowhere, Free Radical was basically given 30 days notice due to UK Law, but the others were just done one day. It is estimated that around 15 projects of varying stages were also cancelled and the group are not done yet.
So while we take a look ahead, to see what the remaining studios, until they decided to cut more off, are up to, please spare a thought for the thousands of staff let go due to corporate greed.
AMPLIFIER GAME INVEST
A CREATIVE ENDEAVOR
Last Game Released: Hooked Inc: Fishing Games | Series: Gladiator: Hero of the Arena, What if..
The studio is less than 10 people strong and they make mobile games. Sadly they don’t update their website that frequently, their careers page is showing it was last updated in May 2022. Given that they seem to be ok with updating a host of their available games, it is unlikely we will get anything from new them, but mobile game development being what it is, that could change quite quickly.
DESTINYBIT
Last Game Released: Dice Legacy | Series: Empires Apart
2021 saw the studio release Dice Legacy onto PC and Switch, but then they went silent, only to pop up last year with the news the game was hitting other consoles and with that done, its back to silence.
The studio has not been active on social media since the release of Dice Legacy onto PlayStation and Xbox, they have no jobs open and nothing anywhere I could find, hinted at what they were working on. The studio is not massive, barely 20 people, but given the time between releases, something new is on the way, we just don’t have any idea what it could be.
FRAME BREAK
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
2023 was meant to be the year that developer Frame Break released their debut title into Early Access for both PC and Xbox, but just as December began, the release was pushed back to March 2024. As part of the news, the studio did confirm their content roadmap, regarding updates to the game, but there were no dates given to them.
With the number of trailers the game has had already, it would not be a surprise to see more about the game as the early access release draws closer.
FRAMEBUNKER
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
2013 was the year that Framebunker was created and 2014 was meant to be the year their debut game released, then that changed to 2016 and now its just TBA.
Given they have no social presence, their website is just a link to a contact us form and the game has been radio silent for a good number of years, I suspect that this one is either dead or on long-term life support.
GOOSE BYTE GAMES
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Last year we said that it was likely the studio would reveal their game and they did, The Signal is the studios debut title. The game is best described as No Man’s Sky, if it was contained to a single planet.
The game is going to launch into early access at some point, but there is no date on when that will happen, however given the studio have been consistent about talking since the reveal expect to hear more from them this year.
GREEN TILE DIGITAL
Last Game Released: Strobophagia | Rave Horror | Series: None
There isn’t much new this year compared to last, the only game the studio has released was done so back in 2020 and since then the studio has been real quiet. When I say quiet, I don’t mean keeping mum, I mean quiet, the have not done any social pushes in years, they don’t appear to be hiring and there is nothing on them that I can find. So if they are up to something, it has super top secret stamped across it for now.
INFINITE MANA GAMES
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
The studio was formed a number of years ago and soon after they announced they were working on a game that they are calling Project Expeditions, the full name has not been revealed. Sadly it seems it will be quite a while until we get the title, or anything.
In October 2023, the CEO of the company released a post stating that they were just now beginning work on their vertical slice and narrowing in on the features for the game. That is not the best place for a game to be in, if you wanted to release it any time soon. Given that description of their state, I would not expect to hear much, if anything, from this group in 2024.
INVISIBLE WALLS
Last Game Released: First Class Trouble | Series: Aporia: Beyond The Valley
This studio released First Class Trouble back in 2021 and since then, they have released a good amount of free updates to the game, keeping the trouble going. However if they are working on anything new, they are not saying. Given the long support for their last game, I would expect that to continue in 2024.
KAVALRI GAMES
Last Game Released: Equestrian: The Game | Series: None
Another studio that is still riding, pun intended, on the success of their first and only game, Equestrian: The Game. It was released back in 2018 and the studio has been releasing pretty consistent updates since then.
2023 did have them looking to fill a small number of roles, so its possible they have more to share on a new game, but they could just be for more content, only time will tell which way they go.
MISC GAMES
Last Game Released: Fishing: North Atlantic | Series: Fishing: Barents Sea
The studios last game released back in 2020 and after supporting that for a while, they did reveal their newest game last year, which we did predict would happen.
Ships At Sea is set to launch into early access on PC sometime this year and is billed as “the next generation of ship simulation.“ Given the desire to launch the game this year, expect to hear more from the studio as the year progresses, be it a date or delay.
PALINDROME INTERACTIVE
Last Game Released: Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars | Series: None
2022 saw the studio confirm that they were working on something new and last year it was revealed the studio was working on a game set within the Legend of the Five Rings universe. The game has been described as a rougelite autobattler, which is taking inspiration from other titles like Slay the Spire and Hades.
The game is PC only at this stage and given there is no official title for the game, it is unlikely we shall hear much from them in 2024.
RARE EARTH GAMES
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
2022 is when the studio announced that they were working with Unreal Engine 5 to create a new co-op action title and since then, the studio has not said anything. The studio has no open roles, no social posts that are not ~2 years of age and nothing on their website about their upcoming project.
This year is the time for the studio to reveal whatever this mystery game is.
TARSIER STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Little Nightmares II | Series: Little Nightmares series, The Stretchers
2021 saw Tarsier Studios release Little Nightmares II and people loved it, so when Little Nightmares III was announced people got excited all over again. But then we learnt that Tarsier Studios were not involved in that series anymore, Bandai Namco the publisher had tapped Supermassive Games to create the new game. So what is Tarsier working on?
We don’t know, in March 2023 the studio pushed out a single piece of concept art for their next game, shown below and just said “New world. Emphasis on new” and since then, there has been nothing on it. The studio is not hiring for anything, so they are staffed up, they are just being coy on whatever it is. You could pull from their history and say its going to be a spooky game, but remember this studio also created The Stretchers for Nintendo and Tearaway Unfolded for PlayStation.
ZAPPER GAMES
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Yeah we got nothing for this one. The studio was created 2 years ago now and since then, they have not said anything about what game they are working on. They do have a few jobs that are open and one of them suggests an open-world design, similar to games like Zelda Breath of the Wild and Sonic Frontiers, but that is not exactly a narrow space to work from.
Given their small size, reportedly less than a dozen folks there and their need to hire still, it is unlikely that whatever the game is, will be revealed any time soon.
CDE ENTERTAINMENT
Crystal Dynamics
CRYSTAL DYNAMICS
Last Game Released: Marvel's Avengers | Series: Tomb Raider series, Gex series, Legacy of Kain series
It has been a few years now since the last game was released from this studio, but we also know exactly what they are doing next, Perfect Dark. There is no word on the overall status of the game, but we know they are working on it. There is also a Tomb Raider game in development, but that might be the Southwest folks.
CRYSTAL NORTHWEST
Last Game Released: Marvel's Avengers | Series: None
The Northwest team was started up in order to support development of the Avengers game, they were the ones to do a lot of the post game content. Given that they have no other games under their belts, there is no telling what they are doing next, but supporting the main team is likely.
CRYSTAL SOUTHWEST
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
The last of the three studios, they are also the youngest, only being formed back in 2021. About a year after the studio was formed, it was revealed that CD were working on a new Tomb Raider title, with Amazon Games publishing it. Given that the main studio has been tapped for Perfect Dark, odds are on this studio taking the lead on Tomb Raider, but there is nothing supporting that, just makes sense is all.
Eidos-Montréal
EIDOS-MONTRÉAL
Last Game Released: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy | Series: Deus Ex series, Thief
It has now been 2 years since the Guardians saved the galaxy again and since then the studio has been really quiet on what they are working on next. In the early part of 2023, there were reports that a co-op Deus Ex title was in development, but there has been nothing confirming that. Late in 2023 reports surfaced that the studio was working with Playground Games on Fable, but again, no confirmation of that.
The studio has a number of jobs open, some referring open world design, however another references overseeing one of their new game projects. Does this mean both of the rumoured titles are coming into play, no clue, but it could be an exciting time for the studio.
EIDOS-SHERBROOKE
This studio when it was formed, had very little information revealed about it. Since then we have learnt that the studio is actually a R&D group, working on engines, tech tools and such. So with that in mind, they are going to be working on whatever is required of them from the main studio.
GEARBOX ENTERTAINMENT
GEARBOX SOFTWARE
Last Game Released: New Tales from the Borderlands | Series: Borderlands series, Brother in Arms series
For years it seemed that Gearbox were just going to make Borderlands titles and nothing else, especially after getting their start porting other studios games. In the past 10 years though, in amongst all the Borderlands titles, they also released Aliens: Colonial Marines and Battleborn… ok, those are not the best examples. So really the studio only has one series they develop for and that is Borderlands.
The studio does own the Homeworld IP and a new game is coming in 2024, but Homeworld 3 is being developed by Blackbird Interactive and not by these guys. So with their last game developed here being Borderlands 3, there is no telling what they are doing now.
GEARBOX STUDIO QUÉBEC
Last Game Released: New Tales from the Borderlands | Series: None
The studio is the oldest of the spin ups and in 2022 they released New Tales from the Borderlands, which seemed to resonate with fans of the series, they also brought the original game to more platforms as part of the work.
Since then the studio has been mum on whatever is next, but they have a number of jobs open. Sadly one such job is for a monetisation designer, whose job it would be to design and implement in-game purchases for a AAA game. That never bodes well, so hopefully its more experimenting than anything, but until they announce whatever is next, we need to wait and see.
GEARBOX STUDIO MONTREAL
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
This studio was only founded back in 2021 and there are rumours that they were the ones that pulled all the Borderlands games together for the Pandora’s Box collection, but there has been no confirmation on that. For now, we need to wait and see if they are doing anything more or if they are just going to support the main studio.
GEARBOX STUDIO SHANGHAI
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Previously they were Eidos Shanghai and they were a development support studio, working on games like Oninaki and Final Fantasy XV for Square Enix or Tomb Raider for Crystal Dynamics. Since they were renamed and handed off to Gearbox, there is no word on what they have been working on.
GEARBOX PUBLISHING SAN FRANCISCO
This is the publishing arm of Gearbox, where they assist other studios with getting their games out. 2023 saw them release Blanc, Risk of Rain Returns and Remnant II to name a few, they also announced Hyper Light Breaker.
2024 will see them release Homeworld 3, after a few years in development, plus they will continue to publish new content for Star Trek Online and Neverwinter Online, which are created by Cryptic Studios, which reports into this group.
Plaion
Deep Silver
DAMBUSTER STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Dead Island 2 | Series: Homefront: The Revolution
2023 saw Dambuster Studios finally get Dead Island 2 out the door, a game that was first announced back at E3 2014. Over the course of the year a few updates were released, but at the end of the year the games first big DLC released.
2024 will see the studio release the second DLC, currently expected around the middle of the year, but no specific date has been given yet.
FISHLABS
Last Game Released: Chorus | Series: Galaxy on Fire series
2021 saw the studio release Chorus into the world and then they went silent. But in 2023 they popped up again as the console developers of Valheim, which launched into Xbox Game Preview in March 2023. The game has been in development on PC since 2021 and there is no firm release date for it at this time.
Given the studio is working on the console port, they are likely going to focus on that until the game is done and out, so I wouldn’t expect much on that, until the PC release is sorted.
DIGIXART
Last Game Released: Road 96: Mile 0 | Series: Road 96 series
The small French studio released their prequel game Road 96: Mile 0 in 2023, so as such a new game in 2024 is not likely. However given they have had a 2 year development cycle for a while, a new game is likely on the way.
Flying Wild Hog
FLYING WILD HOG
Last Game Released: Shadow Warrior 3 | Series: Shadow Warrior series, Hard Reset
After a pretty busy 2022, 2023 was much quieter, but they did bring Shadow Warrior 3 to current gen consoles, since then the studio has been quiet.
The studio is looking to fill a few roles, none of them have any real indication of what genre of game they are making next, however there was a listing a while ago that stated a job was for a ”fast-paced third person action title”, so who knows if that still stands. They are looking for a recruitment specialist, which is not related to a game being made, but its a rare thing to see. Given they were pretty quiet for 2023, I would expect the studio to announce what is next for them later this year.
FLYING WILD HOG CRACOW
Last Game Released: Space Punks | Series: Space Punks
The game has been in its open beta state for quite sometime, but in September 2023, the decision was made to stop development of the game and remove it from stores, with the servers going offline in November 2023. Given the last minute changes to what was normal behaviour, we have no idea what they are going to do next.
FLYING WILD HOG RZESZÓW
Last Game Released: Trek to Yomi | Series: X
The smallest arm for the group, they have been pretty quiet since Trek to Yomi shipped, there are no jobs listed at the studio nor anything online for them, so its just a waiting game.
MILESTONE SRL
Last Game Released: Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged | Series: MotoGP series, Ride series, Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame series
After a 2 year gap, Milestone released a second Hot Wheels Unleashed and got peoples attention again, but in 2023 they also released more games in the series above.
Given that MotoGP and Monster Energy Supercross: The Official Videogame have had yearly series for the past 5 years, expect that again this year. The only game that won’t come out this year is Ride 6, as the studio takes a few years between entries on that way.
PRIME MATTER
A publisher, not a developer, this group helps indie studios get their game into more markets and in front of more gamers. Pay Day 3 was one of their games in 2023. Reports have surfaced that the brand is going to be axed and the unpublished titles will be supported by Plaion direct, which is who the Prime Matter team reports into.
RAVENSCOURT
Another publisher, Ravenscourt helped get 4 games out the door in 2023, including Road 96: Mile 0 from above. Currently the only get we know they are helping with is Bears in Space, from the local studio Broadside Games, which is currently dated just as 2024.
Voxler
Last Game Released: Let's Sing 2024 | Series: Let’s Sing series
Each year this studio produces a new entry in their Let’s Sing series, the latest one shipped in November 2023. Given they have been very consistent with their releases, it is quite likely another will release in 2024.
WARHORSE STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Kingdom Come: Deliverance | Series: None
If there was ever an example of a studio who knows what they wanted to make and knows what their audience likes, its Warhorse Studios. They released their only game in 2018 and have been riding that ever since. The Switch version of the game was announced to be coming in June 2021 and after 2.5 year of silence, we got a release date.
Well release window is more apt, the game is currently booked as coming in early 2024 and the funnier aspect, this studio is not even handling the port, rather Sabre Interactive is. Will Warhorse have something new for 2024? Unlikely.
SABRE INTERACTIVE
34BIGTHINGS
Last Game Released: Redout 2 | Series: Redout series
It has been over a year since this studio released any content for their last game, Redout 2, so you would have to imagine they are working on something new. They are not actively hiring for any positions, so whatever is next could be a while way or out later this year, there is no way of knowing.
3D REALMS
Last Game Released: Kingpin: Reloaded | Series: Duke Nukem series
After a few quiet years, the studio started to pick things up in 2023, releasing Cultic, The Kindeman Remedy and Kingpin: Reloaded. They were supporting developers on all those projects, but it is the way they are working these days.
2024 should see the same pattern play out, but with a few more titles. Graven will release later this month, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin is coming in February, with 3 more titles in various stages of work. As such we will hear from them a lot.
4A GAMES
Last Game Released: Metro Exodus | Series: Metro series
It has been a while since we heard from 4A Games, well outside of their Ukraine studio having to evacuate due to the war raging in the country. The last news from them, regarding a game being made, was that in November 2020 it was confirmed a new Metro title is in development.
Since then, there hasn’t been any news about it. We know that they are hiring for a number of jobs, from creature artist to sound programmer, so its likely going to be a while, but its 4A Games, so we are happy to wait.
Aspyr
ASPYR MEDIA
Last Game Released: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed | Series: Plenty of ports
For the longest time it seemed that we were due to hear from this studio every year, as they began porting countless classic Star Wars games to Switch and PlayStation 4 and then in 2022 we got the last one. Months before this was released though, they announced Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic — Remake, a from the ground up remake of the beloved RPG. Since then the studio has lost the rights, according to multiple sources with development being handed off to Sabre Interactive.
We finally heard from them again in 2023, with the reveal of the Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft, which is due to release in February of this year. Given the studios size and former frequency of work, we can’t help but think they just ran out of projects to push out after Force Unleashed, but hopefully that changes in 2023.
BEAMDOG
Last Game Released: Mythforce | Series: Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, Axis & Allies 1942 Online
2023 saw this studio release Mythforce, which is basically an interactive cartoon, but then in September 2023, months after it released, the studio was hit with layoffs from the Embracer mess.
Given the changes in staff at the studio, there is no telling what is next for them. We should hear their name in 2024, if only for an update or two on Mythforce, anything beyond that is a myth.
BYTEX
For many years the studio was known as the creators of the Berserk series of games, but lately the studio has pivoted to being a testing house, providing support for other developers, including companies like Wargaming. They are looking for more staff to join the already 250+ that they have, but again all of that is for QA work.
DEMIURGE STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Rocket League: Sideswipe | Series: Many
Last year we talked about this studios new projects that were announced, but not detailed and 12 months later, not a thing has changed. They are likely providing support for Rocket League: Sideswipe still, but their new projects, that is a mystery.
The studios website is the same as it was a year ago, all of their social channels have not had anything shared to them in over 5 years and the jobs they are looking to fill, have not described anything of note. Given the past 12 months seem to have not happened for the studio, one can hope they change things up this year with some news.
FRACTURED BYTE
Last Game Released: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 | Series: Ports of other games
The last release from this studio was the Switch version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, which they did along side Turn Me Up Games. Since then the studio has been very quiet, as in we have no idea what they are doing. They are looking for a lot of jobs, including someone with Cloud experience, but there is nothing in that listing that points to any sort of game. For now we just need to wait to see what they are up to.
MAD HEAD GAMES
Last Game Released: Scars Above | Series: Nevertales series, Cadenza series
2023 saw the studio release what you could consider their first AAA game, having spent years creating hidden object games. With that game out the door, things are turning to their next two projects, which the studio has described as based on “famous and believed IPs”.
The problem is, that statement was on their website a year ago and there has been no changes since then, in addition the studios open jobs do not give anything away. Hopefully with their first big game out the door, we might start to hear about one of these mystery projects sometime this year.
NEW WORLD INTERACTIVE
Last Game Released: Insurgency: Sandstorm | Series: Insurgency series, Day of Infamy
2023 was a decent year for the studio, they managed to get a big update out for Insurgency: Sandstorm in the early months and then supported that release for the rest of the year, but as is a trend with Embracer, in December the studio was impacted by job layoffs.
With the layoffs, reports also surfaced that the studio was being shuttered, but it seems that has not happened at this time. The support for Insurgency will remain and work on their next game is still happening, though there is no telling how the layoffs will impact its development, so for now we wait.
NIMBLE GIANT ENTERTAINMENT
Last Game Released: Star Trek: Infinite | Series: Master of Orion: Conquer the Stars
After being silent for a few years, their previous game released in 2020, I said last year that their next game would be big and I was correct, as Star Trek: Infinite was released in October 2023.
Given they just released a big game and have plans to support it, a new game this year is very unlikely, but we will still see their name as the year progresses.
Saber Interactive
SABER INTERACTIVE
Last Game Released: Wild Card Football | Series: World War Z: Aftermath, SnowRunner series, Mudrunner series
Saber Interactive is perhaps one of the biggest b-grade developers around. Their work is not b-grade, they are just a studio that produces games that are not quite mainstream. 2023 saw them have a fairly quiet year, compared to some others, but what about 2024?
We know Toxic Commando is on the way, plus there are countless more, the problem is that a lot of the work is divided up across their studios and trying to find the correct one is a bit of a challenge. Something to note, the company never provides the studio name who works on each game, so while we try to find out details, sometimes its guess work.
SABER INTERACTIVE Armenia
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
A new studio on the block, they were spun up from staff who left Russia and Belarus when the war in Ukraine. They are reported to be doing the work on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic title, but the only official confirmation is that a Saber Interactive studio in Eastern Europe is doing it.
SABER INTERACTIVE Minsk
Last Game Released: Gloomhaven | Series: Unknown
2023 saw the Minsk studio, formally known as Belarus, move locations and ship the console port of Gloomhaven, which only released in the later months of the year. Given that release window its unlikely we will see anything from them this year, but who knows.
SABER INTERACTIVE PORTO
Last Game Released: Dakar Desert Rally | Series: Dakar series
2022 saw the studio release their latest entry in the Dakar series of games and since then, they have been actively supporting it. A massive update was released in November 2023, so there is no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.
SABER INTERACTIVE RUSSIA
Last Game Released: Star Trek: Infinite | Series: NBA Playgrounds, WWE 2K Battlegrounds
There is no word on what this studio is working on now, they are linked to the development of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, but that has not been confirmed.
SABER INTERACTIVE SPAIN
Last Game Released: Wild Card Football | Series: Evil Dead: The Game
After a decent 2022 when Evil Dead: The Game was released and seemed to be on track for a good run, however in mid-2023 the game was killed off, with the Switch release never coming to exist. The studio did manage to release a game, but it didn’t set the sails charts on fire.
Given the studio has a few hundred staff
SABER INTERACTIVE SWEDEN
Last Game Released: Mortal Kombat 1 | Series: Many
Usually used a support studio, the last game they helped to get out the door was Mortal Kombat 1, but in what capacity is unknown. The next game to come from them is Kingdom Come: Deliverance for Switch, we are just waiting for the release date on that one.
SHIVER ENTERTAINMENT
Last Game Released: Mortal Kombat 1 | Series: Scribblenauts series
Shiver Entertainment made a name for themselves when they helped bring Mortal Kombat 11 to Switch, considered a great version of a great game. 2023 saw them release Mortal Kombat 1 for Switch, based off the work they did with the last game, the problem is that its near unplayable.
Given the studio shipped a game last year and are working on it still, along with supporting work for Hogwarts Legacy, its unlikely they will have anything new to share in 2024.
SLIPGATE IRONWORKS
Last Game Released: Kingpin: Reloaded | Series: Rise of the Triad, Rad Rodgers
2023 was meant to be a big year for this studio, with 3 titles to release, one of which was the remaster of Kingpin: Life of Crime. But Phantom Fury was delayed out of the year and into an unknown date in 2024. If that was worst news from the studio, then things would be ok, however like countless others in this list, they were hit with the Embracer layoffs.
With 5 games scheduled to release across 2024, we will hear their name more as the year progresses, but sadly things have not started off well, as there are already reports of more layoffs at the company. Fingers crossed anyone impacted can find more work and the folks that remain won’t be forced to crunch the titles to get them out.
SMARTPHONE LABS
Last Game Released: World War Z | Series: Too many to list
A developer you have likely not heard off, Smartphone Labs has spent their time creating games for mobile and consoles, as well as porting other companies games to new platforms. The last game that we can find the studio worked on was the port of World War Z to Switch, which released back in 2019. Since then the studio has been assisting with other works.
While they are not named as working on it, the studio is likely involved with bringing Expeditions: A MudRunner Game to Switch, given that they ported the original game to Switch back in 2018. For now we just have to wait and see.
SNAPSHOT GAMES
Last Game Released: Phoenix Point | Series: Phoenix Point, Chaos Reborn
In 2021 Snapshot Games released the ultimate version of their tactical game Phoenix Point and since then, there hasn’t been any word from the studio. The last 5 posts from the games official social channels are 4 regarding a sale and one happy holidays, with that one being in 2022.
In 2023 they were looking to hire Unreal engine specialists and UX designers, so they are clearly working on something, though they are also taking time to celebrate together, we don’t have any idea of what their next game is. Given the studio was founded by the creator of X-COM, something tactical would make sense, but only time will tell.
TRIPWIRE INTERACTIVE
Last Game Released: Maneater | Series: Killing Floor series, Red Orchestra series
2020 was the last year that this studio released their own game, but in the years between they have published Chivalry II and Deceive Inc., with that last one coming out last year. Last year saw the studio announce Killing Floor 3, but that was in.
Given the studio is likely hard at work on the next entry Killing Floor 3, without it having any release window, there is no way of knowing if its going to release in 2024 or not.
TUXEDO LABS
Last Game Released: Teardown | Series: None
2022 saw the studio release Teardown on PC and then in 2023 they announced it was coming to current gen consoles, which it did in November 2023.
Given the studio is reported to be on the smaller side and they just shipped a game to more platforms, there is unlikely any chance we will see a new game from them in 2024.
ZEN STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Pinball M | Series: Pinball series
Best known for their Pinball games, Zen Studios had a busy 2023, with Pinball M releasing, bringing with it new horror themed tables, like the one inspired by The Thing. They were also another studio hit by layoffs.
Given the studio releases tables fairly consistently, we should see their name across 2024, just no idea if it will be for new tables or a new game.
THQ Nordic
ALKIMIA INTERACTIVE
Last Game Released: Gothic II Complete Classic | Series: Gothic series
2023 saw the team at Alkimia Interactive release both Gothic and Gothic II onto Nintendo Switch, seemingly with little notice, but they also kept at work on the remake of the original game.
Given the game is without a release date, there is no telling if we will hear much from the studio this year, however they do like to keep folks updated with pretty consistent updates, so who knows, maybe we will hear from them a lot.
APPEAL STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Gangs of Sherwood | Series: Outcast series
Perhaps a busier studio than you might have thought, but 2023 saw the studio release Gangs of Sherwood, which let players play as the Merry Men as they fought against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. While response to the game has been mixed, the studio only released the game in December, so there is time to release fixes for it.
Time however won’t be their friend as they also have Outcast - A New Beginning coming in March 2024, if it sticks to its release date. I thought I saw reports of the original Outcast coming to Switch, but it seems that must have been a fever dream, as I can’t find anything about it now, but still with a game on the way and one just out, this is a group we will hear from a lot this year.
ASHBORNE GAMES
Last Game Released: Last Train Home | Series: Comanche Remake
We said last year that we would hear about this studios “Historical Strategy/RPG“ in 2023, but we were not expecting it to actually be released, with Last Train Home departing the station at the end of the year.
Given they just shipped a game, we should hear from them as they go into post launch support, but beyond that anything new is unlikely.
BLACK FOREST GAMES
Last Game Released: Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed | Series: Giana Sisters series, Destroy All Humans (remakes)
2023 saw the studio bring the second Destroy All Humans to last-gen consoles, something that they said was not possible originally, but that was just a port job. In August 2023, we learnt their next game would be an adaptation the incredible The Last Ronin story from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
With the game in active development and no idea of how far along it is, we will need to wait until we learn more, but given the studio has a number of open roles to fill, its unlikely its coming out anytime soon.
BUGBEAR ENTERTAINMENT
Last Game Released: Wreckfest | Series: FlatOut series
It has now been 5 years since Wreckfest released and since then it has slowly found its way to more platforms, with mobile devices being the last ones, but that was 2 years ago now.
The studio had been quiet on social media last year, for almost 9 months, before they popped up to tease something. What that is however is still unknown, as there has been no follow up and that tease was in September 2023. The studio could be working on a sequel to Wreckfest, but when asked about the tease being connected to Rally Trophy 2, a sequel people want, the response was simply “Close!”. How close or not that happens to be, we likely won’t hear about it anytime soon, which is a shame as they need to start talking about something new.
EXPERIMENT 101
Last Game Released: Biomutant | Series: None
After having released first back in 2021, after a lot of delays, the game Biomutant made the jump to next gen 18 months later in September 2022. For about six months the studio was quiet, but they then announced that the game was coming to Switch.
The game appears to have been dated to release on February 14th, with multiple retailers listing the date, but the official website does not have it and the games Twitter page has not shared anything since May 2023 when the port was announced. If the date is true, we should hear from them soon and then post that launch, I expect silence again.
GRIMLORE GAMES
Last Game Released: SpellForce 3: Fallen God | Series: Spellforce series
2020 was the last time that the studio released anything, with Fallen God being added to the Spellforce 3 saga, but once that released they went silent, until last year. During the THQ Nordic Showcase, it was revealed that the studio was creating Titan Quest II, which currently has no release date. Until they are ready to talk about it some more, there is nothing we can do except wait.
GUNFIRE GAMES
Last Game Released: Remnant II | Series: Darksiders series, Remnant series
2023 saw the team at Gunfire Games release Remnant II and then at the end of the year, they dropped the first of three expansions. Given the studio has been releasing updates pretty consistently and there are two more expansions to come, we shall hear a lot from them in 2024.
Handy Games
HANDYGAMES
Last Game Released: Wreckfest Mobile | Series: Too many to mention
Mostly considered a publisher of indie title, HandyGames do develop their own titles on occasion. The last game that they developed was the mobile port of Wreckfest, but that was back in 2022. We know since then they have been working on bringing Endling: Extinction is Forever to mobile as well, but there is on timeframe on that.
The studio is also developing Devil and the Fairy, a VR tower defense title, which has entered early access via Steam, but there is no release date for that. Given the studio publishes other works all the time, we will hear their name this year, but how much is them vs publishing others is the big unknown.
MASSIVE MINITEAM
Last Game Released: Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader | Series: Squishies, Spitlings
Another studio that helps others, they have spent the better part of the last 5 years helping bring titles to players with other studios taking the lead. That changed in 2023 when they finally announced their next title Oddsparks: An Automation Adventure.
The game has entered into early access already and is aiming for a full release in 2024, but there is no firmer timeframe than that as this stage.
KAIKO
Last Game Released: Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning | Series: Red Faction: Guerrilla - Re-Mars-tered, Darksiders: Warmastered Edition
The last release from this studio was back in 2020 when they brought Kingdoms of Amalur to modern platforms and then again a little later for Switch. The studio has been supporting it since with patches and DLC, but the last news for that game was back in July 2023.
The studio is actively hiring for its next project, with none of the current listings providing any direction for what they could be for. So for now we wait to see what comes next from them.
MIRAGE GAME STUDIOS
Last Game Released: Little Big Workshop | Series: None
Their debut game, Little Big Workshop released back in 2019, with Massive Miniteam assisting them, then in August 2022, their next game Space for Sale, was revealed. Since then the studio has been working on the game, which does not have a release date, but they are constantly dropping videos explaining aspects of the game, you can check out the 2+ hours of dev videos here.
NINE ROCKS GAMES
Last Game Released: Way of the Hunter | Series: None
The debut title from this studio released in 2022 and since then they have released a fairly consistent stream of content and updates for it. The studio knows their hunting games as before they were Nine Rock, they were Cauldron where the Cabela’s series of games were created.
They are not actively hiring for anything massive that we can find, so its unlikely they have anything new in the works, at least that would release in 2024.
PIECES INTERACTIVE
Last Game Released: Magicka 2 | Series: Magicka series, Titan Quest series
This is one studio that we should have been writing about how their next work will be a while away, given that Alone in the Dark was dated for release twice last year, before getting delayed until 2024 and then delayed again. Given the studio is working on getting this game done, don’t expect anything else until they do that.
PIRANHA BYTES
Last Game Released: ELEX II | Series: Gothic series, Risen series, Elex series
The last game from this studio was ELEX II, which if we are being honest, was trash. The game scored low, player feedback pointed to so many issues with the game and generally if you asked players who had played it, they said don’t bother. The last reported update to the game was in April 2022 and since then the studio has been silent on things.
Well, I say silent, but they are actively releasing videos that explain things about how games are made, but no word on their next game.
POW WOW ENTERTAINMENT
Last Game Released: Jected - Rivals | Series: None
After being silent for so long, the studio announced Stuntfest World Tour back in June 2022, one name change and an early access release later and the full game got its release in October 2023 as Jected - Rivals. Since then I would expect a few updates would be coming in 2024, but beyond that we won’t hear much from them this year.
PURPLE LAMP STUDIOS
Last Game Released: SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake | Series: SpongBob SquarePants ports
The start of 2023 saw Purple Lamp Studios release SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake for Switch, PC and last-gen consoles, the later part of the year saw current-gen consoles get the game as well. Given that the studio just shipped a game, its unlikely that we will see anything from them in 2024.
Rainbow Studios
RAINBOW STUDIOS
Last Game Released: MX vs ATV Legends | Series: MX vs ATV series, Monster Jam: Steel Titans series
In 2022 Rainbow Studios shipped their latest entry in their MX vs ATV series and since then the studio has released a patch a month, give or take, since.
As for what is next, the studio is actively looking to fill a few roles, with one showing interest in motion capture, which would work well for another motorbike title. There is no word on what is next, but I could see them going back to a Monster Jam game, if they wanted to do something different.
RAINBOW STUDIOS MONTRÉAL
When the studio was founded back in 2022, they were given the task of being a support studio for other THQ Nordic developers. What that means is they are unlikely to make a game, just assets and such for ones in the list above. Given their mandate, I would not expect a game from them.
So there we go, a rundown of most of the studios owned by Embracer. For the sake of not having to write “It’s a mobile developer, so who knows” over and over again, we opted to remove some studios from the list and obviously we have not included every company if they don’t actively make games.
