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[Draugoth]

Sources: Borderlands Studio Will Escape The Most Divisive Company In Gaming

Gearbox is leaving the Embracer fallout behind as devs wait for a answers on what’s next

kotaku.com

Embracer bought Borderlands maker Gearbox Entertainment for $1.3 billion back in early 2021 amid an unprecedented acquisition spree that’s since turned into a financial disaster. Now, just three years later, Kotaku has learned that Gearbox is closer than ever to being sold out from under what is arguably the most hated company in gaming.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Pitchford gonna find some way to fall upwards.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

If only Eidos-Montreal had the money to buy themselves out from under Embracer while retaining the Deus-Ex IP.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Holy fuck Embracer is imploding.

 

[Jaybe]

Embracer selling off everything to throw the wildest party Sweden has ever seen, then close shop.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Borderlands 3 the Presequel.
Tell the story of how the Twins grew up and became the most eye rolling villians in history.

 

[Chuck Berry]

 

[Kdad]

Embracer is "the most hated company in gaming" ???

 

[Snowdonhoffen]

Toys 4 Bob leaving Activision
Saber leaving Embracer
Gearbox leaving Embracer

Guess that's nice, being able to continue independently instead of being closed down by the parent company that acquired you. Probably now more than ever more companies would try to stay independent as long as they can.

 

[Fabieter]

Embracer imploding isn't good for the industry and people celebrating, why?

 

[ClanOfNone]

I’ve always enjoyed the Borderlands games. The writing is terrible, but there’s just something about a fps looter shooter that really scratches an itch for me.

On the other hand I can never forgive the terrible abortion of Colonial Marines, a game that should’ve been fuckin amazing but ended up shitting the bed.

 

[FoxMcChief]

Bugs have kept me from enjoying/finishing B2 and B3. I loved the first game.

 

[kruis]

Embracer imploding isn't good for the industry and people celebrating, why?

I'd rather see Embracer slowly imploding while selling off their most important studios than the whole Rmbracer group going supernova and taking all the studios they own with them.

 

[semiconscious]

i began & ended the series with borderlands 2. each of the half-dozen times i've tried to get into the other games, i always end up bailing within a dozen or so hours. the series's like a joke that just goes on'n'on, & isn't really all that funny to start with...

 

[SRTtoZ]

Is it just me or has Embracer been a disaster?

 

[Rockman33]

What games has embraced even published since their crazy buying spree? I feel like most studios they bought and never even put out a game.

 

[Iced Arcade]

watch eraser group let them go and they keep the borderlands IP


edit: nm 2k owns most of it. thanks Perrott

 

[adamsapple]

Randy Pitchford working his magic.

 

[Perrott]

watch eraser group let them go and they keep the borderlands IP

Borderlands is half-owned by 2K, who also have exclusive publishing rights to the series by contract, and Borderlands is nothing without Gearbox. There's no use for Embracer in retaining 50% of the IPs ownership if they can't do anything with it.

That half of Borderlands will go with Gearbox so that they could sell them for more money.

 

[RAIDEN1]

Embracer has to be the casualty in order for Deus EX to live...

 

[Kacho]

Is it just me or has Embracer been a disaster?

Saints Row reboot wasn’t their fault!

 

[TVexperto]

Embracer stock up 17%!

 

[SHA]

I’ve always enjoyed the Borderlands games. The writing is terrible, but there’s just something about a fps looter shooter that really scratches an itch for me.

On the other hand I can never forgive the terrible abortion of Colonial Marines, a game that should’ve been fuckin amazing but ended up shitting the bed.

The game is literally a splitted head, the 3drealms/gearbox side and the other unpleasant side, we know who causes trouble since the beginning.

 

[cash_longfellow]

Nice, my excitement for Borderlands 4 actually increased with this news.

 

[cash_longfellow]

I’ve always enjoyed the Borderlands games. The writing is terrible, but there’s just something about a fps looter shooter that really scratches an itch for me.

On the other hand I can never forgive the terrible abortion of Colonial Marines, a game that should’ve been fuckin amazing but ended up shitting the bed.

Absolutely! Borderlands is just so satisfying to me. It’s like a series I can shoot people in the face and still feel relaxed about it unlike most fps for me.

 

[bender]

Who retains ownership of Pitchford's thumb drive?

 

[StueyDuck]

Lol I mean... whose buying them? Gotta be Chinese right like tencent?

None of the others are in a position to really be buying gearbox right now (and I wouldn't want them to either, fuck consolidation)

 

[StueyDuck]

Embracer is "the most hated company in gaming" ???

When you work for a simple jack website like kotaku they are...

Little do they know kotaku is the most hated games outlet in the industry

 

[A.Romero]

Embracer imploding isn't good for the industry and people celebrating, why?

Because there is this weird fantasy where publishers can buy development studios without their agreement and it seems to some people that Embracer only did it to burn money because of reasons.

Somehow the concept of studios being usually in so much financial stress that a buy out is an attractive idea seems to be in conflict with the idealization of the developers being saints and don't care about money.

If only they realized that a lot of this studios would have closed much sooner than they are if they didn't get Embracer's cash...

 

[Kdad]

Lol I mean... whose buying them? Gotta be Chinese right like tencent?

None of the others are in a position to really be buying gearbox right now (and I wouldn't want them to either, fuck consolidation)

Tencent or Epic/Tencent loading up.

 

[Mr Moose]

How were those idiots allowed to buy so many studios?

 

[violence]

The Covid money train has stopped. Everybody’s downsizing.

 

[Fake]

How were those idiots allowed to buy so many studios?

Ask those stupid USA/UK departaments that somehow see no problem seeing companies buying and closing small companies after and after.

 

[StueyDuck]

Tencent or Epic/Tencent loading up.

Honestly I don't see who else , they aren't a cheap company to buy.

MS would be moronic to do so right now, Sony is kind of in the shitter and Nintendo I don't really see having much use for them.

Not a chance T2 take them back with all of Randy's shenanigans and that really doesn't leave much else. WB is kinda fucked, 505 just got hit with layoffs.

Will be interesting to see how this pans out

 

[BennyBlanco]

Gearbox published Remnant 2 which might be the only W in Embracers history

 

[R6Rider]

Every time I hear the word Embrace I think of Deus Ex.

 

[Demigod Mac]

 

[Chuck Berry]

Bugs have kept me from enjoying/finishing B2 and B3. I loved the first game.

You're not missing much, if anything. First game is still the best.

 

[Paltheos]

Everyone talking about Borderlands and Homeworld, but my most anticipated title from Gearbox is the second Risk of Rain 2 DLC pack (well, the second paid one anyway). It's my most anticipated content of the year, and I know what that means - I can think of a handful of other games I'm excited about this year. Risk of Rain's just too good, man. Please be safe, Gearbox~

 

[YCoCg]

How were those idiots allowed to buy so many studios?

They literally put all of their eggs into one basket, they bought up everything on the cheap with the intent of getting a $2 Billion fund from the Saudi's where they were going to put all the studios to work, ...but that deal fell through and suddenly there's a massive debt they have to solve.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Will be interesting to see what price they get.

Believe it or not, Embracer did ok all things considered with Saber. They bought it during covid for $525M and somehow lucked out selling it off for $500M.

Gearbox was insane. $1.3B for a company skewed to Borderlands games with the rest of their recent games being forgettable. Amazing how this is somehow worth buying for $1.3B.

 

[mitch1971]

Brothers in arms 4 please.

 

[graywolf323]

Is it just me or has Embracer been a disaster?

I mean at least we got the Amalur remaster + expansion before it all fell apart

 

[Futaleufu]

Embracer is "the most hated company in gaming" ???

I dont understand the Embracer hate. They bought a lot of IPs that were never going to get a second chance from the usual publishers. Its a pity it didnt work at the end.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

So all of the remnants of THQ were scooped up by Embracer and then Embracer imploded like THQ

Poetic

 

[Buggy Loop]

Someone please save Eidos Montreal and Deus Ex

 

[ByWatterson]

So....

I don't think we're living through a big crash. Instead, it's pretty clear VC-fueled consolidation was built on pie-in-the-sky projections that never would or could come to pass.

And now we're seeing deconsolidation in the form of layoffs, selloffs, and closures.

I bet industry looks healthy in three years.

 

[digital_ghost]

Embracer is "the most hated company in gaming" ???

EA lost the title. Electronic Asses.

 

[Fabieter]

Because there is this weird fantasy where publishers can buy development studios without their agreement and it seems to some people that Embracer only did it to burn money because of reasons.

Somehow the concept of studios being usually in so much financial stress that a buy out is an attractive idea seems to be in conflict with the idealization of the developers being saints and don't care about money.

If only they realized that a lot of this studios would have closed much sooner than they are if they didn't get Embracer's cash...

Also imagine the non Asian aa market in the last decade besides embracer. They just played a high risk card and lost. It happens but thought they were interesting, financially and gamewise.

 

[Denton]

How were those idiots allowed to buy so many studios?

By convincing owners of those companies to sell because money is nice? What kind of dumb question is this.