REACTION - Gearbox have escaped Embracer, and 2K are their logical saviours
A prudent course of action.
By Jonathan Garrett
28/03/24
In jolly industry news, Gearbox have managed to break away from the mismanagement of the Embracer Group and secure themselves a $460m deal that has meant they’re safe from any short term cullings. It’s a sensible step, given their history of working with 2K on various titles (including Borderlands), and makes a world of sense for 2K as they gain one of the biggest developers in the world.
Borderlands 4 has also been confirmed to be in active early development, which is likely to be a license to print doshins. As we navigate a troublesome era of industry cutbacks, it’s another win that follows both Toys for Bob and Sabre Interactive pulling a similar move to ensure their longer term viability, and a chance for these talented folks to land on their feet.
What becomes of the deal in terms of output beyond Borderlands is still up in the air. 2K also gained the rights to the Brothers in Arms franchise (another personal favourite) and now they’re under 2K’s wing, the chances of that series making a comeback have massively improved. We’ll be keeping an eye on all of the above, with everything crossed that other “on the bubble” studios can secure deals of their own.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
