{"id":517674,"date":"2026-06-25T12:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/517674\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T12:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T12:11:10","slug":"italian-studio-34bigthings-regains-independence-from-embracer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/517674\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian studio 34BigThings regains independence from Embracer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Italian studio 34BigThings has regained its independence from layoff tycoon Embracer Group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Studio co-founder Valerio Di Donato has reacquired 100 percent of the company&#8217;s shares from the Swedish conglomerate, which acquired 34BigThings in November 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">The news means the Carmageddon Rogue Shift and Redout II developer has become the second-largest independent video game studio in Italy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">34BigThings currently comprises over 70 employees and will be led by head of studio and co-founder Giuseppe Enrico Franchi in tandem with a streamlined board of directors consisting of Valerio Di Donato and CFO Daniel Giagnorio.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Franchi said detaching from Embracer will allow the Torino-based studio to chart its own future.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">&#8220;Returning to full independence gives us absolute autonomy to shape our structure, our projects, and our development approach. It&#8217;s refreshing to be steering our own ship once more,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p data-component=\"related-article\" class=\"RelatedArticle\">Related:<a class=\"RelatedArticle-RelatedContent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/magic-the-gathering-arena-unionize-despite-allegations-of-interference\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Magic: The Gathering Arena developers have successfully unionized<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">&#8220;This new chapter will begin with an absolute bang. Later this year, we will be announcing a major title built on one of the most important, beloved, and revered intellectual properties in the world. And that&#8217;s just the start: our production pipeline is fully charged, with another major title scheduled for 2027 followed by another groundbreaking project slated for 2028.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Embracer has become known for mass layoffs, divestments, and studio closures since 2023, when the company <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/embracer-s-m-a-era-is-ending-with-job-cuts-and-game-cancellations\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">initiated a debilitating restructuring plan<\/a> following years of mergers and acquisitions. Those cuts have continued into 2026, with Embracer having eliminated roles at <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/embracer-owned-vr-developer-vertigo-games-closes-amsterdam-studio\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vertigo Games<\/a>, <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/embracer-subsidiary-tripwire-interactive-has-laid-off-23-employees\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tripwire Interactive<\/a>, <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/embracer-studio-crystal-dynamics-continues-steady-stream-of-layoffs\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Crystal Dynamics<\/a>, and Eidos<a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/embracer-has-laid-off-124-employees-at-eidos-montreal\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">\u00a0Montreal<\/a> since the turn of the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">The conglomerate is now <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gamedeveloper.com\/business\/embracer-to-spin-off-major-video-game-franchises-and-studios\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">splitting into multiple standalone, publicly-traded companies<\/a> in an effort to rightsize. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Italian studio 34BigThings has regained its independence from layoff tycoon Embracer Group. Studio co-founder Valerio Di Donato has&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,60,80],"class_list":["post-517674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}