Our parent company Embracer Group acquires IP rights to the LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT by J.R.R TOLKIEN

Embracer Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, which manages licensing rights to motion pictures, video games, board games etc. relating to the iconic fantasy literary works The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, one of the world’s most epic fantasy franchises join the Embracer family, opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group,” says Lars Wingefors, Founder and Group CEO of Embracer Group.

The Saul Zaentz Company based in Berkeley, California, US, was founded in 1976. It was originally set-up as a film production company, which produced award-winning films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The Saul Zaentz Company acquired its rights from the heirs and estate of J.R.R. Tolkien and HarperCollins Publishers, who maintain the print publication rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works. In 1998, The Saul Zaentz Company licensed New Line Cinema to enable director Peter Jackson’s live-action trilogies of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Embracer’s operative group Asmodee Group is already one of the most successful licensees of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit through board games and card games, having published more than a dozen games since the release of The Lord of the Rings board game over 20 years ago.

Earlier in the year, Embracer Group announced it was in process of purchasing Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and three Western game development studios from Square Enix, all for the price of $300 million.