Saber Interactive gets ‘significant’ equity investment to pay Embracer debts

Private equity firms Aleph Capital and Crestview Partners have made a “significant” investment in Saber Interactive.

With the investment, Saber will use it to pay off its debt to former parent company Embracer. In March, it sold Saber and several other subsidiaries off to Beacon Interactive in a $247 million deal.

That just-concluded deal was slightly tweaked to no longer include Metro developer 4A Games and Pinball FX maker Zen Studios, which will both remain at Embracer for the foreseeable future.

Saber also plans to use the investment to accelerate its growth initiatives across its 13 studios spread around Europe, the US, and South America.

“This investment aligns with our strategy of supporting dynamic companies that have the potential to shape the future of their industries,” wrote Aleph managing director Jamie Rahamim. “We look forward to partnering with Saber’s talented leadership team to help them achieve even greater success on a global scale.”

Both Rahamim and Crestview president Brian Cassidy will also join Saber’s board of directors alongside co-founders Matt Karch and Andrey Jones.

The saga of Saber in 2024

On top of leaving Embracer, it’s been an eventful time for Saber. Earlier this week, the studio launched Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, which opened to 2 million players on launch day.

The game had a slight hitch when an unfinished build was leaked back in July, which Saber promptly asked players to avoid since it was a year old.

Along with post-launch support for Space Marine II, Saber’s future projects include John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, and a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

In May, Game Developer spoke with Karch about Saber’s enduring 23-year history, which you can read here.