There have been a lot of major acquisitions of game studios this year, and this week saw everyone shocked when Square Enix announced that they would be selling off their studios Crystal Dynamic, Eidos-Montreal, Square Enix Montreal, and some of their IP to Embracer Group.
Everyone is curious about the possible sale of the Marvel IP, which has incredible potential for AAA moneymakers down the line. Still, as it turns out, Square had lost a lot of money with their Marvel projects and is looking to recoup it with the $300 million sale.
According to industry analyst David Gibson (via GamingBolt), Square had allegedly lost $200 million on Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. Here’s his post:
There are probably several reasons why the Marvel games failed. Still, the shocking thing about it is everything was set up for success with the popularity of the Marvel IP and the studio’s reputation.
Even if Guardians of the Galaxy could receive good word of mouth, the reception of Avengers probably soured anyone’s interest in checking out any other Marvel/Square Enix games. If it is any consolation, guardians are getting more attention now, especially with its release on Xbox Games Pass.
Whoever manages to get their hands on the IP, I hope they can handle it more effectively down the line. If Square can successfully meld Disney and Final Fantasy, it should have been easy to bring one of the biggest box office IPs to games. Maybe they should make like Lucasfilm Games and start a game studio that oversees all Marvel interactive properties.
It is just a thought.
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