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.