Tomb Raider back in the spotlight? Embracer wants to revive its legacy IPs

After Embracer Group said it will split into two publicly listed companies next year, it has now laid out the next phase: Fellowship Entertainment will take control of its largest game IP assets and push harder on external partnerships and licensing for series including Tomb Raider, The Lord of the Rings, Metro, and Dead Island.

Seen in that light, Fellowship looks less like a corporate rename and more like a deliberate attempt to relight a long-idling map. It is not just keeping hold of Tomb Raider and The Lord of the Rings/Middle-earth. It also wants to find new partners for Thief, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Darksiders, and Remnant. Dark Horse Comics will also formally become part of the new IP and licensing business, which makes it clear this is meant to stretch beyond isolated deals and into games, films, and other transmedia uses.

For Lars Wingefors, chairman of the board, the plan is straightforward: Fellowship will significantly expand collaboration with external partners across its owned IP, including Tomb Raider, The Lord of the Rings, Metro, Dead Island, and smaller but still notable names like TimeSplitters, Thief, and Legacy of Kain. The open letter also says the company will continue expanding The Lord of the Rings/Middle-earth and Tomb Raider, while building new partnerships for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dead Island, Darksiders, Remnant, and the officially licensed Metro series.

The catch is that players are likely to remember what happened before they remember the pitch. Embracer previously canceled the TimeSplitters reboot, shut down the Saints Row development studio, and, according to industry reporting, cut in half a new Deus Ex sequel. That history makes every promise of a revived classic feel conditional. If Fellowship really does want to bring back lesser-known names like Legacy of Kain and TimeSplitters, it will have to prove this is about more than monetization.