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Death's [Embracer Group] - First Volition, next maybe Gearbox?
Athenor
Battle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
Battle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
Update 3: I'm changing the title on this to be more representative of where things are going. Much like the Vulture Capital thread I started in D&D, all this falls under the specter of the Embracer Group.. So I might as well lump them together.
https://www.engadget.com/embracer-may-sell-borderlands-creator-gearbox-amid-financial-woes-161505145.html
I assume this is more fallout from the Saudi deal falling through. Gearbox is one of the larger, more recognizable parts of the Embracer group - but it is also one of the newest, being acquired in 2021. Since then, Gearbox has released 2 games it developed (Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and More Tales from the Borderlands), and it has published an additional 8. My beloved Homeworld 3 is still on track, but.. I've had the side eye about Gearbox involving that for a while.
The article implies that other publishers have been approaching Embracer about the sale, as opposed to Embracer shopping them around. Still, it sounds like they are amicable to cutting their ties with the studio. I am curious how the IP will go, considering that's likely the most valuable part of Gearbox.
Update 2: Via WotanAnubis, Volition has posted a letter to their community:
(Not gonna lie, I wish they would have attributed that to specific people, but I don't know if the studio heads have been consistent.)
Ars Technica's story. This has a count of employees (200), but not what their fates will be. They also reference Ryan Hoss's Twitter.
PC Gamer's article brings up how Saint's Row was moved under Gearbox. They got a statement that says the next overall communication will be on the 16th of November. They did call out that the Saint's Row and Red Faction IPs will continue to be owned by Embracer's operative group, but no word on other IPs.
PMAVers mentioned that Dave Lang of Iron Galaxy (and Giant Bomb @ Nite) had words on this as of 1:33 PM Central Time:
Iron Galaxy, for their part, posted and pinned that they are hiring... ALL the positions (as of 11:35 AM Central time). They explicitly call out hybrid work.
Update 1: Engadget story: https://www.engadget.com/saints-row-studio-volition-abruptly-closes-due-to-restructuring-at-embracer-group-184731175.html
Volition is close to me. My first online game and online community was Descent 2, via Kali/Kahn, which Volition helped develop back when they were part of Parallax software. Descent: Freespace and Freespace 2 are magical games that showed just what a space sim could do with storytelling and epic battles. And physically, they are based out of Champaign, IL, which is just 1 city over from me. Employees of theirs are known around my community in various regards.
Since then, Volition has been known for some of the most beloved games around here: The Saint's Row and Red Faction series. In fact, our dearly departed @IdolNinja even got to work for them due to his passion for them.
However, in my personal opinion, they have been adrift for the last 10 years. Their last few attempts at Saint's Row games fell flat, coming and going without being noticed. They were swept up in the THQ collapse, and then picked up by THQ Nordic and Deep Silver. They've often felt like they are not in control of their own destiny. And.. well.. I guess they definitely aren't, as of today.
This thread is for sharing the memories, and sharing support if anyone here knows people from the community. Be respectful, as there are many ties out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUBI-YVRY8
https://www.engadget.com/embracer-may-sell-borderlands-creator-gearbox-amid-financial-woes-161505145.html
I assume this is more fallout from the Saudi deal falling through. Gearbox is one of the larger, more recognizable parts of the Embracer group - but it is also one of the newest, being acquired in 2021. Since then, Gearbox has released 2 games it developed (Tiny Tina's Wonderlands and More Tales from the Borderlands), and it has published an additional 8. My beloved Homeworld 3 is still on track, but.. I've had the side eye about Gearbox involving that for a while.
The article implies that other publishers have been approaching Embracer about the sale, as opposed to Embracer shopping them around. Still, it sounds like they are amicable to cutting their ties with the studio. I am curious how the IP will go, considering that's likely the most valuable part of Gearbox.
Update 2: Via WotanAnubis, Volition has posted a letter to their community:
Volition via Twitter wrote:Thirty years of making games. There are only a handful of studios in the industry that have been around for 30 years, and we took a lot of pride over Volition being one of them. Volition has been around long enough that some folks forget what we made, but they certainly know our games. Refrains such as, "Volition made Descent?!", or "Volition made FreeSpace?!", or "Volition made that Summoner RPG with that hilarious video?!" are not uncommon. Sometimes it's easier to remember the games more than the studio that built them, especially for those that have been around as long as we have. But all good things come to an end, and so it is with Volition. After 30 years Volition has closed, and we wanted to say a few final words.
To start, we know there wouldn't be a studio without the people in it. While it may sound cliched, as those who have worked at Volition can attest, it truly is a huge family. Volition started with a team that had a vision for how to make the kinds of games others couldn't and infused that confidence throughout the entire company. We assembled an incredibly talented group of artists, storytellers, and creators who together built a culture that attracted top quality people who truly cared for each other. Time progressed, people naturally came and went (and very often reunited again!), but the people were always what made Volition truly special. Do all developers feel the same? We know they do, but in this case there truly was a unique culture of people that cared about each other like family, combined with the will to create some of the most unique games ever created. Thank you so much to every Volitionite who has ever worked here. You are all what made this the magical place it was to work at, and we can never say enough about how much you have meant to us over these 30 years.
Beyond our development family, we also wouldn't have a studio without our extended family - our community! For 30 years now you have played our games - sometimes you've loved them, sometimes you've been disappointed with them, but you've always been there. We can speak for everyone who has worked at Volition when we say all the hard work and sacrifices we've put into these games have been for you. Over these many years we have enjoyed working on an extremely diverse series of games, and so many of you have come along for that ride. We can't thank you enough for sticking with us throughout all this time. We've loved your enthusiasm every step of the way, even those times when you wish we had (or hadn't!) gone a certain way with a Saints Row or Red Faction or Descent. You are why we kept making these games, and those of us that have been part of the Volition family will be eternally grateful.
Farewell.
(Not gonna lie, I wish they would have attributed that to specific people, but I don't know if the studio heads have been consistent.)
Ars Technica's story. This has a count of employees (200), but not what their fates will be. They also reference Ryan Hoss's Twitter.
Ryan Hoss wrote:I have been affected by today's full studio closure of Volition. So proud of the work me and my team did during my 7 years there.
Having said that, I'm looking for a new position as a senior/lead VFX artist or art manager. Any leads would be appreciated. #gamedev #volitionjobs
PC Gamer's article brings up how Saint's Row was moved under Gearbox. They got a statement that says the next overall communication will be on the 16th of November. They did call out that the Saint's Row and Red Faction IPs will continue to be owned by Embracer's operative group, but no word on other IPs.
PMAVers mentioned that Dave Lang of Iron Galaxy (and Giant Bomb @ Nite) had words on this as of 1:33 PM Central Time:
(I-57 is the corridor that links Chicago and Champaign/Urbana)Dave Lang wrote:To those affected by the Volition closure: First off, sorry that blows. Second, we want to talk to you. Follow @IronGalaxy for more updates but we are figuring out logistics on a visit down I-57 now.
Iron Galaxy, for their part, posted and pinned that they are hiring... ALL the positions (as of 11:35 AM Central time). They explicitly call out hybrid work.
(The picture calls out that they have offices in Austin, Chicago, Nashville, and Orlando. They specifically list they are hiring "Associate Software Engineer, Lead Software Engineer, Rendering Engineer, Senior Rendering Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, Software Engineer, and Managing Art Director."Iron Galaxy Studios wrote:We're looking for a Managing Art Director to join our team as an artistic visionary. Help us ensure our visual elements are of the highest quality and with the growth of our art team members. Engineers, we have plenty of roles and levels for hire!
irongalaxystudios.com/careers
Update 1: Engadget story: https://www.engadget.com/saints-row-studio-volition-abruptly-closes-due-to-restructuring-at-embracer-group-184731175.html
Volition's LinkedIn wrote:The Volition team has proudly created world-class entertainment for fans around the globe for 30 years. We've been driven by a passion for our community and always worked to deliver joy, surprise, and delight.
This past June, Embracer Group announced a restructuring program to strengthen Embracer and maintain its position as a leader in the video game industry. As part of that program, they evaluated strategic and operational goals and made the difficult decision to close Volition effective immediately.
To help our team, we are working to provide job assistance and help smooth the transition for our Volition family members. We thank our customers and fans around the world for all the love and support over the years. You will always be in our Hearts.
- Volition Games
Volition is close to me. My first online game and online community was Descent 2, via Kali/Kahn, which Volition helped develop back when they were part of Parallax software. Descent: Freespace and Freespace 2 are magical games that showed just what a space sim could do with storytelling and epic battles. And physically, they are based out of Champaign, IL, which is just 1 city over from me. Employees of theirs are known around my community in various regards.
Since then, Volition has been known for some of the most beloved games around here: The Saint's Row and Red Faction series. In fact, our dearly departed @IdolNinja even got to work for them due to his passion for them.
However, in my personal opinion, they have been adrift for the last 10 years. Their last few attempts at Saint's Row games fell flat, coming and going without being noticed. They were swept up in the THQ collapse, and then picked up by THQ Nordic and Deep Silver. They've often felt like they are not in control of their own destiny. And.. well.. I guess they definitely aren't, as of today.
This thread is for sharing the memories, and sharing support if anyone here knows people from the community. Be respectful, as there are many ties out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcUBI-YVRY8 He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
Athenor on
+4
Posts
They will likely sell off the physical office space.
But if I'm being entirely honest, after Agents of Mayhem and the Saints Row reboot, the writing was on the wall.
Still, I'm gonna miss Volition. Their games were fun.
Agent's of Mayhem was meh. It tried too hard to be edgy, and didn't focus enough on the fun gameplay or exploration.
The Saint's Row reboot forgot what made Saint's Row fun.
Looking for a pic of what Embracer owns led me to this blog post about the restructuring:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/amirsatvat_embracer-activity-7074452525822660608-RERl?trk=public_profile_like_view
Here's another version of that chart from 2022 that's a bit easier to read but more likely than not out of date.
https://www.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/sg98e1/gaming_companies_their_subsidiaries/
And here is a similar chart from Embracer's announcement of purchasing Asmodee, showing what falls under their umbrella in that market. It's also out of date, from Jan 2022.
Edit: Also, at some point they added a provision to the Freespace 2 EULA that gave permission to share copies of the game with friends, as long as you don't try to profit from it. I've never seen that since from a major studio game. Volition, what legends.
The only thing I would consider new in this (to me) is the identity of the mystery firm behind the 2 billion investment opportunity that fell through and kicked off this restructuring.
Surprise, surprise, it was a group called the "Savvy Games Group" that funded by the Saudi government.
Also doesn't have any of the japanese publishers except sony? Nor ubisoft?
They're probably trying to squeeze whatever cash they can out of it. Wonder when it comes to Gamepass. I'm sure Sony's deal hinged on GP NOT getting it.
Edit:
The LinkedIn author does not attribute the chart in any way. The second chart is from reddit and is openly someone going "I did this for fun." Both are meant to be illustrative, because finding one of those cool charts that shows all the divisions and subdivisions are hard to find for something this scale.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, better let Remnant 2 finish its cycle at least.
Still my favorite videogame jump scare.
Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
Such a random thought.
man
Red Faction and Saints Row are two top franchises, absolutely.
A damn shame. 🙄😐😕
I wasn't that big of a fan of the Saints Row series, I always preferred GTA, but I really enjoyed and was blown away by the original Red Faction and it's (then ground-breaking, both figuratively and literally) geomod engine back in the early 00's of PC gaming. 💣💥
RFG still holds one of my #1 standout Emergent Gameplay moments of all time, just because of how early it was in gaming history that I was able to plan it out and do it.
I had to destroy this super heavy defended facility. The front approach was through a natural canyon with some defenses. Instead I found a way to weasel up a cliff overlooking the base, jumped out of my car, applied every satchel charge in my inventory to every side of it, and sped it off the cliff jumping out at the last second.
Car crashes through the roof of the base, and I hit the trigger for the satchels, causing the entire base to instantly flatten.
God I should replay that game.
I ignored the Saints Row series for a long time until the guys at Giant Bomb kept talking about how great it was. Eventually I got Saints Row the Third when it was on sale or something and had a great time. I really liked 4 as well.
In 2014, I moved to Urbana, Illinois, and suddenly found myself 4 miles from their studio. I signed up to be in their game testing pool and within a month they called me in with a group of other people to test out an upcoming game which ended up being Gat Out of Hell. That was a fun experience, but I signed an NDA and I honestly don't know what I can say about it aside from the fact that I was there for a good chunk of the day.
A few days later I think I ended up tagging @IdolNinja (RIP) on here and mentioning that I was now living in the area. We met up at a local restaurant and talked about their upcoming game, as well as opportunities for employment there. He invited me to a get-together or two with other Volition employees and I got to meet up with some cool people. I applied for a QA position and had an interview that I think went well, but several months went by and I moved on. By the time I found employment in my usual field, I emailed the interviewer and let him know and he was like "Sorry it didn't work out" and I got the impression they just never got the authorization to offer anyone the job yet. Honestly, I doubt the QA job would have been for me at all. That was pretty much the last time I interacted with Volition, aside from occasionally talking with IdolNinja on Facebook. I only lived in the area for 3 years before moving across the country.
I didn't buy Agents of Mayhem at release; it didn't really look interesting to me. That was a shame, because when I went to that one party with Volition employees, a bunch of them were talking about how they were really excited about their upcoming release. They couldn't mention any details about it, but I can only assume they were talking about AoM. Seems like it just didn't click. The new Saints Row didn't really do much to entice me to purchase either.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble. TL;DR: Sad about Volition, liked a lot of their games, got to visit them once or twice, etc.
My Backloggery
Yes, in the sense that Parallax Software did (in fact, I think it was their first title; something they pitched to the likes of Apogee and other "first-person shooter companies", before choosing to partner with Interplay). I think Volition came out of when Parallax split; one half went to Outrage Games (which did publish Descent 3 before THQ bought them) and the other half to Volition. A very typical arrangement for a studio that came about thirty years ago.
On the subject of the attempted, much anticipated reboot, it's interesting to compare it to other bad launches (for those familiar with Arkane or what had been Luminous Studios within Square-Enix, consider Redfall or Forspoken); it remains to be seen if either of those games can be "righted", or if it even matters. The original Saint's Row doubtlessly benefitted by coming out in the gap between the last Grand Theft Auto III entry, designed for PS2, and Grand Theft Auto IV, which released on Xbox 360 as possibly the biggest game on that title. There was a chasm of wiggle-room between what was technically the most underpowered sixth generation console, and one of the largest games that came out on a seventh generation console (even considering how mor ethnically capable San Andreas was. It was a smart space to occupy: one of the earlier HD-capable open-world city shooting/driving games.
Then unfortunately, the Saint's Row reboot launches a few console generations later, in a space much more characterized by both multiplatform releases and open-world action/driving games (Watch Dogs, Just Cause, Mafia, etc.), to the point where there are many other games offering something very similar, and aren't in a precarious reboot situation. And it doesn't run well on console. And it doesn't look particularly good either. So the outcome was unfortunately predictable, or so goes the theory.
For me, I'll always remember Parallax for Prepare for Descent...
COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
That right there? That personality? That's why I loved this company.
Gonna transcribe and add that into the OP. Thank you for sharing it.
I had no idea Laura Bailey was in SRt3. Man, I want to replay that now.
A bunch of commands were being entered in to bypass a firewall or an error screen.
One command:
"Release FS3"
The reply:
"No."
It was so out of left field. I think all the videos of the mission cut that particular scene.
Check this video at 4:10.
Or more specifically - to talk about the Embracer group as a whole. Word is spreading today that they are looking to sell off Gearbox to another publisher, and are shopping around media materials. This is yet more fallout from the Saudi deal, I'm sure.
https://www.engadget.com/embracer-may-sell-borderlands-creator-gearbox-amid-financial-woes-161505145.html
While I didn't put this in the OP, it does make me wonder what the long-term plan for the Embracer Group was. If a single sale falling through is causing them to cut off this much, then how leveraged were they?
It covers what most people in this thread already know - the Saudi deal going south, the massive layoffs, etc. However, it also hints that there's a lot more Embracer is not making public, in terms of firings and re-orgs. Nothing outright stated, but... come on, who would be surprised?