Saber Interactive, the parent company of 3D Realms, which is in the process of developing the Command and Conquer-style RTS game Tempest Rising, has parted ways with its publishing arm, Embracer Group.
In an announcement to investors on Thursday morning, Embracer officially confirmed that it had sold off Saber Interactive for more than $247 million, which is the parent company for studios like 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks, New World Interactive and more.
This move means that Embracer will now end all operations in Russia, and it says that the deal will help improve its cash flow.
Development of Tempest Rising goes on
Development of Tempest Rising for the PC is ongoing, with the current expectation being a release sometime this year, which we hope will take place at some point in the summer.
Saber Interactive and Embracer Group oversee a large tree of development studios. Central to the production of Tempest Rising, Saber Interactive holds ownership of 3D Realms, which is collaborating with Slipgate Ironworks on the game’s development. 3D Realms is handling publishing.
Unfortunately for Tempest Rising, in December, it was disclosed by the founder of 3D Realms—who departed the company in 2021—that Embracer Group had reduced the workforce of 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks by over half.
This significant reduction could potentially lead to delays in the development of Tempest Rising. Communication has been sparse since the announcement, as we hear the community manager was laid off too.
Embracer will retain the following studios including Zen Studios, 4A Games, Tripwire, Beamdog, Tuxedo Labs, Demiurge, Shiver, Aspyr, Snapshot Games, and 34BigtThings.
Saber will retain the following studios including Nimble Giant, 3D Realms, Sandbox Strategies, New World Interactive, Slipgate Ironworks, Mad Head Games, Fractured Byte, and Digic.
“Over the past four years, I have been proud to be part of Embracer’s amazing transformation into one of the leading game companies in the world. As part of the company’s efforts to reorganize for a changed industry and geopolitical challenges, we jointly felt it was the right decision for both Embracer and the core of Saber to part ways.” said Saber co-founder Matthew Karch.
“This transaction also safeguards the livelihoods of hundreds of professionals, many of whom I have worked with for over two decades.” Karch later added.
We have reached out to Saber Interactive for comment to see if this changes any of the layoffs that took place in December. We will update you with a response soon.
Tempest Rising released a Playable Preview on Steam in August last year, offering players the opportunity to experience several campaign missions and gain a solid understanding of the game, enabling them to provide valuable feedback. This feedback would later push the game from its 2023 release to 2024.
There’s been no word on a new release date, and there are currently no plans to release it on any other platforms like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.
Frank Klepacki, who composed the soundtrack for the Command and Conquer franchise, is on board and working on the music for the game.
You can find Tempest Rising on Steam.
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