Embracer COO leaves amid restructuring to form new company
Egil Strunke departs after four years to lead Strunke Games, believes Embracer will "come out stronger" from restructure
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The chief operating officer of Embracer Group has left in the middle of the company's turbulent restructuring program to form his own company.
Egil Strunke announced his departure via LinkedIn, spotted by PCGamesInsider.biz, in which he reflects on his two stints at the publishing group.
Strunke originally served as vice president for Nordic Games, a company that later became THQ Nordic, out of which grew the Embracer Group. After his 2011 to 2014 tenure, Strunke left for a role at 20th Century Fox's Nordic operations before returning to become Embracer's COO.
Embracer announced in June that it was undergoing a restructuring program to reduce its debt after the collapse of a deal that was expected to be worth at least $2 billion.
This restructuring has seen layoffs as Crystal Dynamics, Gearbox Publishing, Beamdog, Zen Studios, Digic and most recently Cryptic Studios, as well as the closure of Campfire Cabal and Saints Row developer Volition.
In his post, Strunke wrote: "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 with a long, bright future ahead of them."
The departing COO, meanwhile, is now leading his own consultancy startup Strunke Games, which he says will "support and be involved in some of the most interesting gaming studios, companies and projects around the globe as the games industry continues its constant change."