Embracer Holdings COO Announces Departure from the Company

Article Key Points

Following eight years of service, Egil Strunke, the Chief Operations Officer of Embracer Group, has departed from the company. His departure coincides with a challenging period for Embracer Group as it navigates the aftermath of a significant deal that did not succeed.

As part of a major overhaul across the company, Embracer Group has been shutting down studios and scrapping undisclosed game developments, impacting both staff members and ongoing projects.

Despite the sorrow of leaving Embracer Group, Strunke is thrilled about embarking on their own venture, Strunke Games.

Embracer Group's Chief Operations Officer, Egil Strunke, confirmed their departure from the holding company last week, effectively ending their eight-year tenure. Strunke's exit comes at a critical time for Embracer Group as they are dealing with the aftermath of a failed major deal.

The last few months have been challenging for Embracer Group. They have been shutting down studios as part of a company-wide restructuring. One of the recent casualties was Campfire Cabal, which closed before even celebrating its first anniversary. This restructuring and cost-cutting initiative not only affected numerous employees in the closed studios but also resulted in the cancellation of several undisclosed games that were in development. Sadly, these games will never be released.

During Strunke's time at Embracer, they made the decision to leave the company. In a post on LinkedIn, Strunke expressed sadness about leaving behind their "amazing colleagues," including Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors. However, they are also excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as they embark on the journey of establishing their own game company called Strunke Games. Strunke described their new venture as one that supports and collaborates with some of the most intriguing gaming studios, companies, and projects worldwide, highlighting the dynamic nature of the gaming industry.

Since mid-June, Matthew Karch has been serving as the interim COO of Embracer Group. While Embracer Group has not yet officially announced Karch as Strunke's successor, his experience as the CEO of Saber Interactive, a subsidiary of Embracer Group known for developing games like Evil Dead: The Game, World War Z: Aftermath, and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, makes it highly likely that he will be appointed to the role. Likewise, while Strunke acknowledges that Embracer Group faced challenges in the past year due to restructuring, they have confidence that the company will overcome them and have a promising and prosperous future.

It is uncertain whether Karch will be able to assist in guiding Embracer Group through its current challenges if he assumes the position of COO. Nevertheless, as the COO typically holds the second-highest position in a company, the outcome of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is now dependent on the new COO as much as it is on the game developers at Saber Interactive. Consequently, only time will reveal whether Embracer Group and Saber Interactive will succeed or fail in their endeavor to develop the remake, which has already been attempted by another game studio.

Editor's P/S

Egil Strunke's departure from Embracer Group marks the end of an era for the company. Strunke was a key figure in the company's growth and success over the past eight years and his departure will be a significant loss. However, Strunke's decision to leave Embracer Group to start his own venture is an exciting one and I am confident that he will be successful in his new endeavors.

Embracer Group is facing some challenges at the moment, but I believe that the company is still in a strong position. The company has a lot of talented people and a lot of great games in its portfolio. I am confident that Embracer Group will be able to weather the storm and come out stronger in the end.