Just a week after Embracer Group announced its plans to divest itself of Arc Games, the latter company has now announced that it is officially an independent publisher. The news comes in light of Arc Games establishing itself as an independent game publisher thanks to the financial support of XD Inc., which allowed the company to partake in a management buyout to gain its independence from Emberacer.
The publisher is slated to maintain its current organisational structure after gaining its independence, which also means that Yoon Im will continue in his role as the publisher’s CEO. Along with this, the company has confirmed that it is “accelerating preparations” for a slate of unannounced upcoming games across the AA market as well as through indie publishing partnership.
“This milestone marks a major new chapter for Arc Games,” said Im in the press release announcing the company’s independence. “We appreciate our time being part of Embracer Group and the accomplishments achieved since the company’s inception over 15 years ago. These experiences have shaped who we are today. “
“As an independent publisher, we are now positioned to more fully pursue our vision—collaborating with exceptional developers worldwide and bringing standout games to market. 2026 is already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious and innovative years in our history, and we are excited for what lies ahead.”
Arc Games had originally started out as Perfect World Entertainment when it was founded all the way back in 2008. Since then, the company had made a name for itself thanks to its efforts in publishing several free-to-play MMORPGs, like Neverwinter and Star Trek Online. Over the last decade, the company has also taken a more active role in releasing AA titles, like Gunfire Games’ Remnant 2 from back in 2023, the Torchlight franchise, and most recently, co-op dungeon crawling RPG Fellowship. The company has also played a hand in the release of indie titles like Have a Nice Death and Frosthaven.
Embracer Group’s decision to divest itself of Arc Games and Cryptic Studios was described by CEO Phil Rogers as being a move to improve its cash flow while still hanging on to some of its core IP. Interestingly, however, Embracer had hoped to hang on to Fellowship as part of its original plans.
“This transaction supports our key priorities by strengthening our focus on strategic assets and core IPs in Embracer while improving profitability and free cash flow,” said Rogers in the now-outdated announcement. “The deal also allows online multiplayer game Fellowship, developed by a talented external team in Stockholm, to find a great home within Coffee Stain Group. I would like to thank the teams at Arc and Cryptic for their hard work over the past four years and wish them all the best as we are confident they will thrive and develop in the years ahead.”
As for Arc Games, the company’s most recently-published title was Chief Rebel’s Fellowship from back in October. The title tasks players with grouping up with three others, each playing a specific role as they take on dungeons that are constantly escalating in difficulty. The title has been described by the developer as a new take on the typical endgame content provided by MMORPGs, but without the grinding that one has to partake in before getting to the endgame.
