THQ Nordic parent company Embracer Group acquires Tarsier Studios

THQ Nordic parent company Embracer Group has acquired Little Nightmares developer Tarsier Studios, the company announced.

Embracer Group will support Tarsier Studios with long-term investments into new intellectual property development, and the studio will remain autonomous within Embracer Group’s wolly owned sub-group Goodbye Kansas Game Invest. Embracer Group and Goodbye Kansas Game Invest will act as owner, financier, and publisher of Tarsier Studios’ new properties.

“We at Embracer are impressed with the position and the team that Tarsier has built up during 15 years, which is evident looking at the fantastic reviews that several of the studio’s famous productions have received, and with the future ambitions of the Studio,” Embracer Group AB co-founder and CEO Lars Wingefors said in a press release. “Together with Tarsier, we want to invest in developing new projects, in the same manner they have done successfully in the past. We look forward to, together with management and all of Tarsier’s employees, embrace the quality and creativity the Studio has, and take the Studio to the next level.”

Tarsier Studios boss Andreas Johnsson added, “It feels exciting to, after a 15-year long journey with Tarsier, partner up with Embracer to continue develop the potential that our studio has. We look forward to the opportunity to continue making exceptionally great games together with Embracer Group.”

Here is an overview of Tarsier Studios, via Embracer Group:

Tarsier Studios was founded 2005 in Karlshamn, has 15 years of experience from games development, and is one of the largest independent studios in Sweden. Today the studio is based in Malmo, has 65 employees, and is led by an experienced team with award-winning creative and artistic world class skills.

Tarsier Studios focuses on developing AA(A) / III (triple-I) adventure games and platform puzzles to primarily PC and console. Over the years, the company has worked primarily as a work-for-hire studio together with global publishing powerhouses such as Nintendo, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Bandai Namco. The studio has also been successful in developing new original IPs such as Little Nightmares, Statik, and Stretchers from concept, through the development phase and to commercial release. The Little Nightmares IP is owned by Bandai Namco, the Statik IP is owned by Tarsier Studios, and the Stretchers IP is owned by Nintendo.

Tarsier Studios is most famous for the critically acclaimed million-selling franchise Little Nightmares (2017), where Tarsier Studios developed from scratch and released together with Bandai Namco on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. At Gamescom in August 2019, they announced the sequel Little Nightmares II, planned to be released during 2020 together with Bandai Namco.