Embracer Group’s chief operating officer Egil Strunke has revealed that he is no longer with the company.
As reported by Video Games Chronicle, he was replaced by Saber Interactive boss Matthew Karch as interim COO.
Egil shared this statement:
“Last week I left Embracer Group as COO, and it’s with mixed feelings I am parting ways this global company phenomenon, rooted in Karlstad, Sweden.
On one hand I’m grateful for having had the chance to work with the one-of-a-kind [CEO] Lars Wingefors and all the other AMAZING colleagues (too many to mention!) which I will be sad to leave. On the other hand excited about the opportunities that lie ahead – starting and building my own company: Strunke Games.”
Egil also shared more thoughts about the current state of Embracer:
“Although the last year has been rough, in line with general market changes and industry consolidation, I am positive that Embracer will come out stronger and with a long, bright future ahead of them.”
This follows a protracted series of layoffs and downsizing in several studios under Embracer, after a major deal, allegedly with Saudi company Savvy Games, fell through.
We reported on Embracer closing veteran game studio Volition last September, revealing they would be open to selling Borderlands developer Gearbox, laying off people at Crystal Dynamics, laying off people at video pinball game developer Zen Studios, and laying off staff at MMO developer Cryptic Studios.
With these staggering layoffs and at least one studio closure, many fans had questioned if Embracer was holding itself accountable for their mistake. No one endorses any game developer or studio being fired or shut down, but at least, in the business world, it would be logical to make these choices if a game company were themselves making mistakes when they make games.
In this case, these studios were not directly responsible for the reason they were shut down or losing people. While it is true that Volition had recently released a dud in their Saints Row reboot, the game actually reached 1 million players. We had reported on a claim that its underperformance led to ‘massive losses’ at Embracer, but Embracer themselves stated “Saints Row has performed in line with management expectations”.
To put it simply, the public had not seen Embracer holding themselves accountable for this decision until now. Egil may have his own reasons for leaving Embracer, and resigning or getting fired may not be the right way to bring that accountability to the company’s management. But, it can at least be said that he didn’t react to this adversity by becoming protective of his own spot in the company.
We wish Egil the best for himself and his future endeavors in the industry.
