Embracer Group is taking a new approach to reviving some of gaming's most beloved but stalled franchises. The publisher announced the creation of Fellowship Entertainment, a dedicated business unit tasked with pursuing external partnerships around IP that has languished under its ownership.
In a letter to investors, Embracer founder and chair Lars Wingefors said the new division will "more actively be exploring" partnerships for a slate of well-known properties: Saints Row, Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex, Red Faction, The Mask, Thief, and TimeSplitters. The implication is clear: Embracer may no longer develop these games itself, instead licensing them to external studios.
No new games have been formally announced, and Wingefors provided no timeline for future reveals. But for fans of these franchises, the announcement signals a potential turning point after years of silence and disappointment.
A Graveyard of Missed Opportunities
Saints Row exemplifies the problem Embracer is trying to solve. The 2022 reboot, meant to relaunch the series as a Grand Theft Auto competitor, flopped. IGN's review at the time awarded it a 6/10, calling it "a very familiar and uninspired brand of sandbox fun." Sales tanked, and developer Volition closed in 2023. Earlier this year, Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman bluntly stated the franchise was "dead" and that Embracer had "zero ability" to do anything with it.
Deus Ex has suffered an even longer drought. The stealth action series last saw a mainline entry in 2016 with Mankind Divided, developed by Eidos Montreal. That game arrived to positive reviews on PC and consoles, but a sequel never materialized. Instead, Eidos Montreal was diverted to Square Enix's failed Marvel's Avengers live-service experiment and its Guardians of the Galaxy title.
When Embracer acquired Eidos Montreal and the Deus Ex IP from Square Enix, hope briefly flickered. A new Deus Ex project was reportedly in development for two years before being canceled in 2024 during Embracer's sweeping restructure.
The frustration boiled over this year when Deus Ex actor Elias Toufexis, the voice of protagonist Adam Jensen, posted his 2026 work schedule on social media. Fans speculated a Deus Ex revival might be among his mystery projects. Toufexis quickly shut that down, writing bluntly: "no Deus Ex because the people in charge are psychopaths." It has now been a decade since Mankind Divided.
TimeSplitters represents perhaps the cruelest turn. In 2021, Deep Silver announced the franchise's return with a new studio founded by Free Radical Design veterans Steve Ellis and David Doak. Development appeared to be proceeding well until December 2023, when Free Radical shut down as part of Embracer's restructuring. The game was canned without ever reaching the public.
The fellowship model may offer these franchises a second chance by removing them from Embracer's creaking internal structure. The company has demonstrated it can nurture major properties like The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider, with multiple projects in active development. Warhorse Studios is working on both a Lord of the Rings RPG and a new Kingdom Come game. Crystal Dynamics has two Tomb Raider titles underway. Metro 2039 and Dead Island 3 are confirmed. Gunfire Games is widely expected to be developing a third Remnant game following the success of Remnant 2.
Whether Fellowship Entertainment's partnership model will actually breathe life back into Saints Row, Deus Ex, and TimeSplitters remains uncertain. Embracer has made bold announcements before only to abandon projects. But the formula at least acknowledges what has become obvious: some franchises may be better served in hands other than Embracer's own.
Author Emily Chen: "These franchises have been on life support long enough. Letting outside studios take a crack at them is the smartest move Embracer could make."
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