Variety announces Middle-earth Enterprises is the newest purchase for
Embracer, the acquisition-crazed gaming outfit. Terms of the deal are not being
revealed, but the story notes a pre-sale evaluation estimated the company was
worth at least $2 billion. The story mentions a loophole in the TV rights to
Tolkien's work is why Amazon is making a series with rights negotiated directly
with the late author's estate. But for the most part, this gives Embracer full
rights to exploit the various Middle-earth properties:
Middle Earth
Enterprises, the holding company that owns all of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works
including “Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” and more, has been sold to Swedish
gaming conglomerate Embracer.
The rights include movies, books, theatrical productions, video games, theme
parks and merchandise in Tolkein’s most famous literary works – “Lord of the
Rings” and “The Hobbit” – as well as “matching rights” in other literary works
related to Middle-earth and authorized by the Tolkien Estate and HarperCollins,
primarily “The Silmarillion” and “The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and
Middle-Earth,” two compilations which were published after the writer’s death in
1973.