In what appears to be a momentous development within the gaming industry, Gearbox, the esteemed U.S. game developer renowned for its iconic Borderlands series, is reportedly up for sale.
As per reports from Reuters, Gearbox’s parent company, Embracer, is actively exploring various possibilities, one of which includes the potential sale of Gearbox. Sources indicate that Embracer has already received expressions of interest from multiple third-party entities. Up to this point, neither Embracer nor Gearbox has issued an official statement regarding this significant development.
Embracer itself has been navigating a period of substantial transformation. The company is currently in the midst of a significant restructuring process, which has already resulted in the closure of Volition, the studio behind the long-standing Saints Row series.
Earlier this year, Embracer made headlines by announcing its intentions to shutter certain studios and cancel ongoing game projects. This decision came following the collapse of a reported $2 billion deal with the Saudi government-funded entity, Savvy Games Group, at the eleventh hour.
Embracer Group has been notably active in acquiring various studios and companies in recent years, with prominent acquisitions including Crystal Dynamics, the developer behind Tomb Raider, and Gearbox, in a deal valued at potentially $1.4 billion back in February 2021.
Remarkably, Gearbox has been on a productive streak, releasing Borderlands spin-offs such as Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and New Tales from the Borderlands last year. The studio also successfully published the hit looter shooter Remnant 2 earlier this year and is slated to release Blackbird Interactive’s sci-fi real-time strategy game, Homeworld 3, sometime in 2024. Additionally, fans of the Borderlands franchise can anticipate the arrival of Eli Roth’s Borderlands film in theaters during the summer of 2024.
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