Just three years after its acquisition by Embracer, Gearbox is going private again. Obviously, Borderlands 4 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2. suffer the consequences.
The Embracer group, nicknamed the ogre of video games, is known for wreaking havoc in the industry. For several years now, its subsidiaries have undergone numerous reorganizations, punctuated by dismantling, resale and layoffs. The loss of a $2 billion contract with Saudi Arabia also caused a real earthquake within the company. Some of the studios like Gearbox (Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland) have been impacted to the point of endangering their future projects?
Gearbox soon to be resold?
Remember, in 2021, Embracer made several major acquisitions like Gearbox Software. Duke Nukem Forever and Borderlands studio bought for $1.3 billion. But, according to some rumors, the studio is already in the process of parting ways with the ogre. And it could be sold as Saber Interactive. “Many options are being considered such as a transfer from Gearbox, independence and other choices” said Dan Hewitt, head of communications, in an internal email intercepted by journalist Jason Schreier (via Bloomberg).
A necessary separation? The layoffs suffered in 2023 left their mark and the employees who escaped had to face the freezing of their salaries. Some employees left in advance and others stayed to continue work on Gearbox projects. But following all this, the studio had to put aside “exciting new projects and licenses” to focus on Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.
Good news for Borderlands and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Encouraging for Borderlands 4? For now, there is nothing official. Even though we have heard about the project several times, including a teaser from Randy Pitchford. “I know what we’re working on, and… it’s the best thing we’ve ever done” declared the co-founder of the studio a few days ago. In any case, the game would have been affected by the rework, with the direction of the project changing along the way. The teams’ goal will currently be to complete Borderlands 4.
An internal delay to be expected? We’ll see. On the other hand, for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2, things get complicated. If we are to believe Kotaku, the project would have undergone a soft reboot, that is to say a slight restart. However, this would not have had too much of an impact on the progress of its development.
Let’s see where this separation from Embracer will lead. But it could give new momentum to Gearbox and allow the studio to launch other franchises. As for the video game ogre, its future is still uncertain, as is the sustainability of its subsidiaries.