Summary
Embracer Group’s Chief Operations Officer, Egil Strunke, has confirmed that they departed from the holding company sometime last week, ending their cumulative eight-year tenure in it. Strunke’s departure fromEmbracer Groupcomes at a precarious time; the company is recovering from a major deal that didn’t push through.
The past few months haven’t been kind to Embracer Group. Gamers may recall it has been closing studios following a major company-wide restructuring. The lateststudio closed by Embracer was Campfire Cabal, which didn’t even reach its first birthday before its closure. The restructuring and cost-cutting plans not only affected many employees working in the studios Embracer closed. It also meant the cancelation of many of the unannounced games it was already developing at the time; these games will never see the light of day.
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It was during this period at Embracer that Strunke decided to leave it. According to Strunke’s post on LinkedIn, they’re sad they’re leaving Embracer after working with “amazing colleagues” like Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors. However, they’re excited about the opportunities lying ahead for them as they start building their own game company, Strunke Games. The now former Embracer Group COO described the new game company as one that supports and involves itself in “some of the most interesting gaming studios, companies, and projects” worldwide as thegames industry continues its constant change.
Matthew Karch has been acting as Embracer Group’s interim COO since mid-June, and although Embracer Group has yet to officially name Karch as Strunke’s successor, his time as the interim COO makes his appointment to the role a good possibility. Karch was previously the CEO of Saber Interactive, a company under Embracer group and thedeveloper of games such asEvil Dead: The Game,World War Z: Aftermath, andJohn Carpenter’s Toxic Commando. Similarly, while Strunke admits that the past year was rough on Embracer Group due to the restructuring, he believes the company will pull through and have a long, bright future once it does.
It’s too early to say if Karch will help lead Embracer Group out of the dilemmas it now faces if he’s appointed COO. However, with the COO typically being the second-in-command in a company, the fate of theStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremakenow lies in the hands of the new COO just as much as those of the game developers working on it under Saber Interactive. As such, only time can tell ifEmbracer Groupand Saber Interactive will sink or swim in the remake’s development - an endeavor another game studio has already attempted.
