Aspyr Media

Aspyr Media is a developer and publisher.

Aspyr Media Webpage, Facebook

An American company specializing in developing and publishing titles for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. Aspyr Media, founded in 1996, joined the Swedish Embracer Group in February 2021. Throughout its history, the studio has focused on creating conversions and remasters of well-known titles. Its portfolio also features original creations and notable independent projects published under its own banner. Since its founding, Aspyr Media has been headed by Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch.

The history of Aspyr Media

Began in 1996, when Michael Rogers and Ted Staloch founded the company.

Focus on conversions

Based in Austin, Texas, the team focused on developing and publishing ports of popular games for Apple computers, often overlooked by other publishers and developers. Aspyr Media was so active in this field that by 2003, it controlled 60 percent of the video game market for this platform. Among the projects handled by the company were entries from the Sid Meier's Civilization, Call of Duty, and SimCity series.

In the years that followed, the team gradually expanded its focus to additional platforms. In 2003, it brought titles such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer to PC, followed by more releases from Activision and other developers. In 2009, Aspyr Media launched its own Treasure World on the Nintendo DS, and in 2010, it brought Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II to PC.

In 2013, Aspyr Media prepared a conversion of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which first appeared on iOS devices and later on Android smartphones and tablets. The project was so successful that the cult classic Jade Empire followed the same path; in the meantime, the company also delivered Quantic Dream's Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered. In 2017, Aspyr Media developed a mobile version of Sid Meier's Civilization VI. Between 2019 and 2020, the company produced ports of Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, and Star Wars Episode I: Racer, as well as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords; the latter arrived on mobile devices, while the others were adapted for eighth-generation consoles. In 2018, Aspyr Media created another original project, an adventure titled Torn.

Over the years, the studio has also delivered promising independent projects. These include titles such as Layers of Fear (2016) and Observer (2017) from the Polish Bloober Team, as well as InnerSpace (2018), Next Up Hero (2018), Lightmatter (2020), and Morkredd (2020).

Acquisition by Embracer Group

In early February 2021, the Swedish Embracer Group announced that its operating group, Saber Interactive, had acquired Aspyr Media. The deal, valued at $100 million ($60 million in cash and $40 million in Embracer B shares, with the possibility of an additional payment of up to $350 million upon meeting certain conditions), ensured that Aspyr Media would remain fully independent, and its employees would keep their current positions.

The company stated in an official press release that it was working on several titles, including "a major project with a budget of around $70 million, expected to be significant for the entire group". Although no official details were given at the time, in the second half of January 2021 unofficial reports emerged, suggesting that Aspyr Media's mysterious project was either Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3 or a remake of one of the earlier games in this iconic series. In September 2021, the company uncovered cards that had been carefully hidden until then and announced a full-fledged remake of the first Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The project was planned for personal computers and also for PlayStation 5, where it would appear as a timed exclusive. Unfortunately, in the end, the developers' plans did not come to fruition.

Initially, in May 2022, it was revealed that Saber Interactive had joined the development of the project. Then, in July, unofficial reports surfaced claiming that the production had been halted, and the lead designer and art director had been dismissed from their positions. In August, however, it emerged that Saber Interactive might have been tasked with completing the remastered KOTOR. The delay was reportedly caused by the slow progress of development.

Soon after, these rumors were indirectly validated by Aspyr Media's parent company, Embracer Group. The company stated that "one of the AAA projects has been reassigned to a different studio". Still, the brief announcement didn't reveal the project's title or which studio would continue its development.

Aspyr Media, meanwhile, shifted focus to other projects. Meanwhile, in April 2022, the company announced the acquisition of the Canadian studio Beamdog and revealed it would publish its new title, MythForce.

When Saber Interactive was acquired by Beacon Interactive in March 2024, Aspyr Media stayed under the ownership of Embracer Group. In 2024, the portfolio was largely dominated by collections of remastered older titles. These included Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered. In 2025, the lineup was expanded with Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles and Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered.