Borderlands studio Gearbox reportedly being sold off once again as Embracer continues its $2 billion tailspin

Man, y'all really like mechs. The long-awaited Helldivers 2 mechs hit the game earlier today following the liberation of planet Tien Kwan, and it seems the community's enthusiasm has outpaced developer expectations and server limitations once again. 

Borderlands maker Gearbox Entertainment is on the verge of joining Saber Interactive in being bought out of the sinking ship that is the Embracer Group, a new Kotaku report claims. It's stated that CEO Randy Pitchford shared the news with employees during a town hall meeting earlier this week, with more information coming in March. The site «understands that the decision was made to sell, and a deal is in the late stages of being finalized».

It's looking increasingly likely that Gearbox Entertainment is going to be sold by Embracer. In a town hall with staff earlier this week, CEO and co-founder Randy Pitchford reportedly told staff that a decision had been made regarding the studio's future, with more details to be shared in March.

A new rumor has emerged that Embracer is close to selling Gearbox Software.

Saber Interactive is reportedly splitting from the Embracer Group and going private in a $500 million deal, but Gearbox Entertainment allegedly isn’t too far behind. After Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier hinted at the same, Kotaku reported that the developer is also set to be sold, with the deal in the “late stages” of finalization.

Embracer Group gobbled up a lot of studios during its 2020-era spending spree, but perhaps the biggest acquisitions were Saber Interactive (World War Z, many, many ports) and Gearbox Software (Borderlands). It’s clear Embracer had big plans for Saber and Gearbox, as both were spun into entire company divisions with other smaller studios reporting to them, but those plans have changed – Embracer’s fortunes took a turn when a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia fell through and the company has been desperately cutting costs since. Apparently, this means two of their crown jewels have to go.

Following reports last year that Embracer Group was considering selling Borderlands studio Gearbox as part of its ongoing «comprehensive restructuring programme», it's now being claimed a sale to a third party is in the «late stages» of being finalised.

Gearbox Entertainment was one of the companies Embracer purchased during its massive buying spree that was followed by widespread layoffs and studio closures. As reported by Kotaku, the Borderlands maker is poised to be sold out, and more information will be shared next month.

Gearbox could be “closer than ever” to being sold off by its parent company Embracer Group, according to a new report.

The campaign to defend a single planet, Mort, from Helldivers 2's encroaching Automaton threat saw players die "over 10 million" times in the past two days alone. 

As it lays off around 900 people across Sony's stable of studios, including cuts at Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and the entirety of now-defunct PlayStation London, PlayStation Studios is also canning multiple unannounced projects. 

Honkai Impact 3rd, which was Hoyoverse's big action RPG before Genshin Impact ate all the money in the universe, is gearing up for a relaunch of sorts with its Part 2 update, a massive patch bringing a whole new storyline. It's coming to PC and mobile this Thursday, February 29, and I can already tell I'll end up trying this Hoyo game too, especially now that it's on Steam (with 72% positive reviews, if you're curious).