The rumors were true: Embracer Group has indeed gotten rid of Gearbox after Saber Interactive, and the new owner doesn’t seem to be a big surprise considering the history of the Randy Pitchford-led company.

Embracer Group received $460 million from Take-Two Interactive Software, so Take-Two is taking over Gearbox, which will continue as a subsidiary of 2K. Since it was 2K that published the Borderlands games up until now, this transaction is really a no-brainer. There will be no change in management: Pitchford and his management team will remain at the helm of Gearbox. The company is currently working on six “major interactive entertainment projects,” five of which are sequels. Two of the five are tied to the Borderlands and Homeworld franchises, and there is at least one new IP.

Upon completion of the transaction, Gearbox will retain Gearbox Software, Gearbox Montréal, Gearbox Québec, and the Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms, and Duke Nukem IPs. Embracer will retain Gearbox Publishing San Francisco (which will be renamed) and publishing rights to Remnant, Hyper Light Breaker and other “notable unannounced games”; Cryptic Studios (Neverwinter Online, Star Trek Online), Lost Boys Interactive and Captured Dimensions. The remaining studios will be integrated into Embracer’s other subsidiaries.

“The acquisition of Gearbox is an exciting moment for Take-Two and will strengthen our industry-leading creative talent and portfolio of owned IP, including the iconic Borderlands franchise. This combination enhances the financial profile of our existing projects with Gearbox and provides us with the opportunity to drive increased long-term growth by leveraging the full resources of Take-Two across all of Gearbox’s exciting initiatives,” said Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two.

“With nearly 20 years of history together, Gearbox has played an integral role in our success through their unique ability to create interactive entertainment experiences that feature beloved characters, exciting new worlds and humorous storytelling. We are thrilled to welcome Randy Pitchford and his team of passionate, talented developers to 2K and look forward to working together on many projects in the future. We have enjoyed working with Gearbox on every iteration of the Borderlands franchise and are excited to be actively developing the next installment in the series,” added David Ismail, President of 2K. “Joining forces with Take-Two and 2K will help take Gearbox to the next level. Take-Two and 2K have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to our engine of creativity, joy and profit. We have raised the bar for interactive entertainment and achieved remarkable results with groundbreaking, record-breaking games when we worked together as partners at arm’s length. I’m excited about what we can accomplish now that we’re fully aligned as one,” wrote Pitchford, Gearbox’s boss.

With Borderlands 4 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2 most likely in development, they’ll now be making a direct impact on Take-Two’s bottom line.

Source: Gematsu, Business Wire