Embracer Group acquires Shiver Entertainment
Embracer Group AB (“Embracer”), through its wholly owned subsidiary Saber Interactive Inc., has acquired 100 percent of the shares in U.S based Shiver Entertainment Inc. (“Shiver”) from its founders. Shiver is a game development studio founded by industry veterans John Schappert and Jason Andersen. Through the acquisition, Saber Interactive adds a highly skilled team of nearly 20 people, focusing on game development, co-development, and porting projects across platforms and genres.
“I can’t believe I get to finally work with Schappert and Andersen – two industry legends based in my hometown of Miami. With this acquisition we have not only brought in a great development resource, but we add significantly to Saber’s management capabilities. John and I are ready to greatly expand our operations in North America,” says Matthew Karch, CEO of Saber.
Background and rationale
Shiver, based in Florida with headquarters in Miami, is a game development studio founded in 2013, with focus on game development, co-development and porting projects across platforms and genres.
Shiver is led by founders John Schappert and Jason Andersen, both with significant experience from leading positions within the gaming industry. John formerly served as Chief Operating Officer of Electronic Arts and Zynga and ran Xbox Live for Microsoft. He and Jason also founded Tiburon Entertainment which eventually became EA Tiburon – one of the largest and most successful studios in the world. Shiver engages a dedicated team of 17 experienced developers, who have successfully collaborated with leading publishers on popular game projects such as Mortal Kombat. The team also has original game projects in the pipeline for release in the near future. The acquisition adds two highly-respected industry veterans to the Saber operative group, additional development capabilities and most importantly significant business development prowess.
Within Embracer group, Shiver will operate as a subsidiary under the Saber operating group. Schappert will take on significant responsibilities within Saber’s work-for-hire business. The acquisition of Shiver further strengthens Saber’s presence within the U.S.
In the calendar year 2020, Shiver generated net sales of SEK 40 million. Shiver is expected to contribute an operational EBIT of SEK 40-60 million in FY22/23 and SEK 70-90 million in FY23/24.
Purchase Price and financial contribution
Due to commercial reasons the specific transaction terms are not disclosed. The transaction will be accretive to adjusted earnings.
Completion of the transaction
The transaction was completed on 16 December 2021.
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