Square Enix about to be acquired by Sony?

Yesterday, it was not without surprise that we learned that Square Enix had signed an agreement with the Embracer group for the acquisition of a certain number of its Western studios (Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montreal), knowing that this $300 million deal also includes several prestigious licenses such as TOMB RAIDER, Thief, Legacy of Kein, or Deus Ex. In short, even if he has not completely turned his back on the West (for example, the rights to Outriders, Just Cause and Life is Strange remain his property ), the publisher has clearly decided to favor its Japanese studios.

Marvel – that’s the reason why Square sold its NA team for 0m. Because in a little under two years they lost 0m on two Marvel games. But it still looks like a low price given the optionality on probably 4 AAA titles coming through. #SquareEnix #Embrace

— David Gibson (@gibbogame) May 2, 2022

Renowned for leaving his ears – or rather those of his sources – hanging around, insider Jeff Grubb (VentureBeat) understands that if Square Enix has concluded this agreement with Embracer, it is not for nothing. “I think Square Enix is ​​trying to position itself for an acquisition“, he says. Basically, the idea would be to make the bride more beautiful by separating, in particular, from what weighs down the accounts. Moreover, according to analyst David Gibson, Marvel’s Avengers and The Guardians of the Galaxy allegedly caused Square Enix to lose more than $200 million in the span of two years, which would explain why the check only came to $300 million – an amount that surprised more one – while the potential of the licenses recovered by Embracer remains strong.

Also according to Jeff Grubb, the main objective of this major cleaning would be to arouse the interest of Sony Interactive Entertainment. “The big rumor was Sony buying Square Enix“, he tweeted, adding, however, that he cannot confirm absolutely anything and that he does not yet have enough information to definitively validate this hypothesis.It’s the kind of deal that can fall through or change completely. That’s what often happens, by the way.“, he added. Needless to say that some are already imagining the next Final Fantasy to be released exclusively on PS5, like in the good old days. But for now, it’s just pure fantasy.

OKAY. I’ve said this a thousand times, but there’s always someone who is hearing it for the first time: We never really hear enough to report on acquisitions with any certainty. Sony acquiring Square was the big rumor. But I CANNOT confirms that. And I continue to not know. pic.twitter.com/5ZKJruszCE

—Jeff Grubb (@JeffGrubb) May 3, 2022