Dark Horse has been acquired by Embracer Group. What does this mean for the comics? Probably not much. A lot of acquisitions like this are about a holding company gathering IP so they can get some more profits. But that’s just me pulling thoughts out of thin air.
In theory Dark Horse owns a ton of properties (I’ve seen the number 300 thrown around but can’t verify that at this time) so I can see why someone would want to buy that kind of access. I say “in theory” because Dark Horse properties are also creator owned so it’s more like Dark Horse has first dibs on those properties. The distinction there is largely semantics.
From Mike Richardson, founder and CEO of Dark Horse:
I can’t express the excitement I feel as Dark Horse moves into this new chapter in our history. The synergies that exist with the Embracer network of companies promises exciting new opportunities not only for Dark Horse, but also for the creators and companies we work with. I’ve had a number of compelling conversations with Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors and I’m very impressed with him and what he and his team have built. I have to say, the future for our company has never looked brighter.
What will be fun is on the video game front. Embracer is a Swedish video game holding company, having a stake in (amongst others) Asmodee, THQ Nordic, Gearbox Entertainment, DECA Games, Koch Media, and Saber Interactive.
Combined with Dark Horse starting to publish new Star Wars comics next year this could make for a very interesting pairing.
Other bylines include:
- Digimon World 2 with Andrew Young (Behold!) - November 26, 2023
- Sword of the Berserk Guts’ Rage with Allen Dunford (Pocus Hocus, Grandma Chainsaws) - November 21, 2023
- Daredevil (2003) with Ryan Eleopoulos (Fake Nerd Podcast) - October 9, 2023
