Embracer Group has announced its decision to sell Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive in a deal valued at no less than $460 million. According to a recent press release from Embracer, the deal includes the sale of Gearbox Software, Gearbox Montreal and Gearbox Studio Quebec, along with popular game franchises such as Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms and Duke Nukem.
However, Embracer Group will remain the owner of Gearbox Publishing San Francisco (formerly known as Perfect World Entertainment), which it plans to rebrand. This division holds the publishing rights to several titles, including Remnant, Hyper Light Breaker, and various undisclosed projects, as well as ownership of Cryptic Studios, Lost Boys Interactive, and Captured Dimensions. Embracer plans to integrate these retained entities into various sectors within the Group. All in all, the sale should be ready by the end of July.
But perhaps the most interesting tidbit to come out of this announcement is that the studio has new titles in the Borderlands and Homeworld franchises in development, along with “at least one new and exciting IP,” according to another press release. Overall, I think Take-Two’s acquisition of Gearbox is a good thing. Parent company Rockstar Games have more than enough resources to allow the studio to thrive, and the world is in dire need of a successful sequel to the Borderlands series. I’m not saying that without the purchase it wouldn’t have been a good game, but now I’m maybe a bit more confident.
Tags: TakeTwo buys studio Gearbox announces Borderlands game development
