Gearbox Entertainment, the company behind the fan-favorite series Borderlands, confirms that it has been acquired by Take-Two Interactive/2K. While this is not necessarily surprising, as rumors have swirled around Borderlands and Gearbox’s status within Embracer Group for some time, it does come in the middle of the night, almost literally, for many fans around the world.
The announcement was straightforward: an image posted on Gearbox socials. Founder Randy Pitchford shared as much, commenting that Take-Two Interactive and 2K will help take the company to the next level. Of course, what that means remains to be seen, but part of this announcement is the confirmation that the “next iteration” of the Borderlands franchise is in active development, per Take-Two’s release on the matter.
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Take-Two/2K has released a statement on the matter, confirming the acquisition with an expected completion date by June 30, 2024. While the statement contains the standard jargon of such a business move, it also brings attention to the active development of Borderlands 4. As 2K president David Ismailer said, “We are thrilled to welcome Randy Pitchford and his team of passionate, talented developers to 2K and we look forward to releasing numerous projects in the future as colleagues. We have loved partnering with Gearbox on every iteration of the Borderlands franchise and are excited to be in active development on the next installment in the series.” Although exact details will likely come to light in the coming days, it’s worth noting that this exchange between Take-Two and Embracer was made in the amount of 460 million USD.
Embracer, in this deal, retains certain IPs and companies, including Gearbox Publishing San Francisco, which shall be renamed. It also retains publishing rights to the Remnant franchise, Hyper Light Breaker, and more. Further details, such as what was sold exactly and what was retained, are below via Market Screener.
Gearbox x Take-Two Acquisition Details
- Take-Two acquires the following:
- Gearbox Software in Frisco, Texas
- Gearbox Montreal
- Gearbox Studio Quebec
- IPs: Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms, and Duke Nukem
- Embracer Group retains the following:
- Gearbox Publishing San Francisco
- Cryptic Studios
- Lost Boys Interactive
- Captured Dimensions
With this deal, it’s worth noting that many such moves have been made by Embracer following its acquisition spree over the past few years. Gearbox is the latest in its ongoing reorganization, but it had previously divided purported KOTOR Remake developer Saber Interactive, issued several lay-offs, and reportedly canceled 30 projects within six months, including one for a new Deus Ex game.
Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 is the fourth installment in the Borderlands series. In this looter shooter, players take missions from NPCs and seek out Vaults, similar to the rest of the series.
- Released
- September 13, 2019
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer , Online Co-Op , Local Co-Op
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- How Long To Beat
- 25 Hours
