Launched by two ex-BioWare developers, Trent Oster and Cameron Tofer, the studio is known for re-releasing previous CRPGs.

Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate II, Planescape: Torment, Neverwinter Nights, and Icewind Dale were some of the CRPGs that Beamdog has modernized. This studio was acquired this year by the Embracer Group. In September, Beamdog released a game called Mythforce, essentially a combination of Warhammer: Vermintide and the He-Man cartoon, out of early access. It’s an online co-op game that would benefit significantly from heavy post-launch support.

It won’t be easy for them, as 26 people had to be let go from the studio. Jill Hollet, an associate graphic artist, confirmed on LinkedIn that the Embracer Group-wide restructuring has affected them as well: “Regrettably, as part of the Embracer Group’s ongoing restructuring initiative, Beamdog made the difficult decision to release 26 employees, myself among them. I am incredibly grateful to them for allowing me to embark on my professional industry journey. It has been an honor to collaborate with such exceptional individuals during my time there.”

Embracer Group has made several acquisitions in 2021 and 2022. They bought Gearbox (which is supposed to be sold to Take-Two…), Saber Interactive, Deep Silver’s parent company, Koch Media (running under a new name, Plaion), Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montréal, Square Enix Montréal (renamed and then closed), Middle-Earth Enterprises, or Tripwire Interactive. Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montréal went to Lars Wingefors for peanuts, but interestingly, Gex, one of CD’s IPs, is still owned by the Japanese publisher (why is that…?).

Embracer Group’s luck ran out when their planned $2 billion deal with Saudi state-linked Savvy Games fell through. That’s why Volition (the development team behind Saints Row) and Campfire Cabal (the studio run by the creator of the Expeditions RPGs) closed down.

Source: PCGamer