With the announcement that Swedish video gaming company Embracer Group has entered into an agreement to acquire comic publisher Dark Horse Comics, much of the discussion has focused on what Dark Horse would add to Embracer’s bottom line. As the third-largest publisher of comic books in the United States, and with deep links to the Japanese manga market, Dark Horse has plenty of source material for Embracer’s gaming platforms to pour over. However, when content companies like Embracer and Dark Horse merge, the sharing flows both ways. So, an important follow-up question on the merger should be, “what does Embracer have to offer Dark Horse?” Based on a review of its gaming properties, the short answer to that question is plenty.
In terms of just gaming sources, according to its website, Embracer owns 86 studios that produce more than 100 games in over 40 countries. Talk about a content “pot of gold.” Some of its more notable games include Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Star Trek Online, Dungeons and Dragons: Neverwinter, Borderlands and Saints Row. Those titles alone should prove Dark Horse with a plethora of content ideas.
Tapping into Embracer’s prodigious content vault is not just a hat tip to its creators. It also makes sound financial sense. Indeed, there is a very long history of interaction between comic book and video gaming fandom. Dark Horse can use its comic book publishing prowess to create content that is specifically targeted to video gamers, especially those who enjoy comics. Alternatively, the acquisition has the potential to be used as a platform to introduce comic fans to gaming. Fortunately for both ventures, Dark Horse has deep experience and talent in translating non-comic book properties such as Assassin's Creed, Apex Legends, Stranger Things, The Witcher, and Star Wars, into popular comic book content.
Any effort by Dark Horse to make use of Embracer’s impressive catalog of video games is likely to find support for the top levels of both companies. Indeed, Embracer founder Lars Wingefors got his start in business running a second-hand comic book sales company that went on to be the leading mail order retailer in Sweden. In other words, his roots are in comics. On the other hand, shortly after the merger’s announcement, Dark Horse CEO Mike Richardson stated his excitement about the “synergies that exist with the Embracer network of companies,” and how that should lead to “exciting new opportunities not only for Dark Horse but also for the creators and companies we work with.”
So, while Dark Horse surely provides the Embracer Group with a number of benefits, the bigger winner in the merger might turn out to be Dark Horse Comics. It will gain access to a bottomless source of intellectual property to use for the content generation to not only satisfy its hardcore comics fans but also as a means to attract the untapped video gamers market by creating the comic adaptations of the games they know and love.
Sources: Dark Horse Comics, Embracer Group, Lars Wingefors