For starters, a number of studios that were operating under the Saber Interactive label will be part of Embracer Group’s divestment. That will include 3D Realms, Slipgate Ironworks, New World Interactive, Nimble Giant, Sandbox Strategies, Mad Head Games, Fractured Byte, and Digic. In total, Embracer says its divested assets include 38 ongoing game projects, as well as “certain proprietary engine technology and game tools relating to the divested companies.”

However, a number of studios that were previously operating under Saber are not being divested, and will continue to be owned by Embracer Group. This includes Tuxedo Labs (as well as the ongoing development of Teardown), Demiurge Studios, Beamdog, 34 Big Things, Tripwire Interactive, Snapshot Games, Shiver Entertainment, and Aspyr Media.

Embracer is also retaining control of ownership of 14 projects that were previously under Saber Interactive’s oversight, including two that are being worked on as joint projects with Saber itself.

These 14 projects include 4A Games’ next AAA project (which is presumably the next Metro game), a “previously announced AAA game based on a major license”, an unannounced AAA title that’s currently in the concept stage of production, a new AAA multiplayer shooter based on an IP owned by Embracer, a new AA game based on an Asmodee-owned IP, a new AA game by 34 Big Things based on an IP owned by Embracer, and the entire back catalog and all future upcoming projects by Aspyr Media, Tripwire Interactive (including Killing Floor 3), and Zen Studios.

It’s also been confirmed that Embracer and Saber’s deal includes an option for the latter to acquire Zen Studios and Metro developer 4A Games, though licensing and publishing rights for all existing and future Metro titles will be retained by Embracer Group’s PLAION.

Reports had previously indicated that development of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake would continue at Saber Interactive following the deal’s completion, though that has yet to be officially confirmed.

With publishers and software giants snagging studios up with some frequency, it seems, Aspyr Media – itself owned by Embracer Group – is also interested in taking part in the acquisitions race, as they recently announced that they will be acquiring Beamdog.

As per the agreement, Beamdog will retain its independence within Aspyr after the acquisition. In a statement, the CEO of Beamdog Trent Oster said: “Beamdog can now focus our talent, efforts, and imagination on building the great games we want to play while properly looking after established fan-favorite RPGs. Beamdog’s first original IP is a fun-filled start to our studio’s next chapter.”

Beamdog recently announced MythForce, a co-op dungeon crawler that launches in early access later this month. Aspyr Media, meanwhile, is currently at work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake.

Check out the theme song and gameplay trailers below. Episode 1 features four playable heroes; more episodes and updates will be added throughout development. The story focuses on your merry band fighting the vampire lord, Deadalus, and his hordes of minions. Dungeons are replayable with traps, enemies and treasure placements changing with each run.

The four heroes that will be playable from the outset include Victoria the Knight, Rico the Rogue, Maggie the Mage and Hawkins the Hunter. Each possesses unique skills and up to four players can venture into dungeons together.

Beamdog CEO Trent Oster stated that, “I’m beyond excited to finally show off our team’s original work. MythForce is pure, unadulterated fun – right out of the Saturday mornings of my childhood. With a simple yet satisfying game loop, it’s a big departure from the RPG classics we’re known for, but the Beamdog DNA is evident if you know where to look.”

MythForce is currently exclusive to PC so stay tuned for more details on other platforms in the coming months.

Earlier in the year it was announced that a slew of old-school RPGs were making their way to consoles, all for the first time in their enhanced editions. Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and Neverwinter Nights were all said to be coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, though there were no details as of then on when or what they would look like. Now we know, and boy, they are hitting us hard and quick with these.

All of the games will have both digital and physical releases across all three platforms. Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear will come bundled together. Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale will release in another bundle at the same time. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will be the only one that is a solo release, and it will also launch a few months later.

The Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition pack and Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition/Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition bundle will both launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on September 24^th in North America and September 27^th everywhere else. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will launch on the same platforms December 3^rd in North America and the 6^th in other regions. All three releases will retail for $49.99 USD. You can check out the announcement trailer below and, of course, all of these games are currently available on PC.

https://youtu.be/4fI0p4dSKlQ

Before they morphed into WRPGs, cRPGs used to be an entirely different beast. They would adopt the Dungeons and Dragons rulesets for computer games, and prioritize actual role playing with proper RNG and stat management, unlike what RPGs of later days would become. The zenith of this movement of cRPGs is represented by games like Baldur’s Gate 2, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, and Planescape Torment, arguably the greatest cRPG ever made.

Now, all of those, as well as the original Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, will be brought to modern consoles, exposing them to a modern audience for the very first time. Skybound Games and Beamdog announced today that all of these games will be launching on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 in 2019. These will all be “Enhanced Editions”, according to the press release they made, which means they’ll be polished up with unpressed graphics and the like.

No specific release dates were announced, but I hope they come soon. I can’t wait to play them on my Switch.

We are bringing these amazing titles to #XboxOne, #NintendoSwitch, and #PS4! https://t.co/NbbPN8tQFO

— Skybound Games (@skyboundgames) February 7, 2019

Beamdog’s remaster of the classic Bioware RPG Neverwinter Nights has a release date. It will be releasing on March 27th via Steam. If you pre-purchased the game, then you’ll be able to play the early versions of the title. Furthermore, these players will be the first to access new patches though everyone will eventually receive them through larger updates that will come later.

Along with 4K resolution support, Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will have other graphical options, the base game with its two expansions and three “premium” modules which add even more story content. Players can make their own modules to further extend the game’s life and you can expect new content in the future to arrive via modules.

Beamdog’s pedigree in the field is pretty good – it’s developed Enhanced Editions of Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment and Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2. You can head here to learn more about their version of Neverwinter Nights.

Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition developer Beamdog was hyping up a rather mysterious game “Adventure Y” and it was finally announced what this game would be – a brand new expansion pack called Siege of Dragonspear.

Clocking in at 25 hours with new areas, new enemies and a new class, Siege of the Dragonspear will actually serve to connect the events of Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2: Shaows of Amn. It will required Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition to play and you can import both your created character and save files into the expansion. Even better, you can then export your saves from Dragonspear to Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition if you’re curious to see how your warrior’s new skills would fare in the sequel.

Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear will include support for up to six players in cross-play co-op and will be available for Linux, Mac and PC by year end. It will also arrive on Android and iOS “shortly thereafter”. Check out the trailer for Dragonspear below.

You know the team that brought us the rather well done remasters of the Bioware AD&D role playing classics, Baldur’s Gate, and Baldur’s gate 2? Well apparently, they are working on an all new game in the series, set between the two games, that will try to bridge the events of the stories of the two games.

The game will be made using Infinity Engine, and it will specifically be developed to look and feel like the older, classic Baldur’s Gate games we have all come to know and love- but it will not be Baldur’s Gate 3.

“We’d be lying if we said we never think about doing a Baldur’s Gate 3 game, so we won’t say that. But we will say there’s nothing in the works yet regarding BG3 or a 5th Edition [Dungeons & Dragons] game,” the developer said. “That doesn’t mean the opportunity will never arise, though, so we’re preparing by starting a tabletop 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game here in the office.”

Speaking specifically about Adventure Z- the game set in between the two Baldur’s Gate games- this is what they had to say:

“Right now all we can say about [Adventure Z] is that it exists and it’s a departure for us in terms of what we’ve done in the past. Also, the project might involve sharks… We’re looking forward to giving you more details mid-year.”

I don’t know why they would tease it now while holding the details back for later this year, but yay!

After many, many delays, much-awaited Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition is now available for iOS albeit for the iPad only. You can pick it up on the Apple App Store for $14.99, and it includes the original game Shadows of Amn along with the the Throne of Bhaal expansion.

But that’s not all – you’ll also receive four new party members with new story quests associated with each to further add to the replay value. If that weren’t enough, you also get The Black Pits 2: Gladiators of Thay, which presents an arena challenge for your party to conquer.

Already available on the PC and Mac OS X, also after many delays, distributor Beamdog faced contractual issues with publisher Atari that prevented the game’s release. Those issues have since been resolved and now the game is freely available for all intended platforms (though we still wait for that elusive Android version). Have you played the game yet? Let us know in the comments below.

However, despite being released in a limited fashion and not quite drumming up too much attention, Beamdog revealed that its whole operation could possibly be under threat – and that includes working on Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition and even Baldur’s Gate III.

Studio head Trent Oster told Rock, Paper, Shotgun that right now, “The prognosis is mixed. Best case, we can sort this out soon. Worst case, this could be in legal hell for a while. I like making games, but this contractual dispute bullshit keeps me up at night.

“Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is on indefinite hold, as is the current patch. Baldur’s Gate III, we are still interested in the concept, but currently I’d say were very demoralized.”