Gearbox Software was recently purchased by Embrace Group, the parent company of THQ Nordic. But according to a couple of industry insiders, Microsoft originally had their eyes set on the acquisition.
Insider Brad Sams (who also unveiled the Xbox Series S before its official reveal) shared the information on Twitter, stating that he was to lead to "believe Microsoft looked at Gearbox but clearly didn't complete the deal.".
As you can see above, this tweet was followed up with a response by Windows Central editor and trusted insider Jez Corden, who also acknowledged that Microsoft had been interested in acquiring Gearbox Software.
Microsoft has had a close relationship with Gearbox Software in the past, which has worked on projects such as Halo: Combat Evolved for PC. Securing the IP would have ensured the company held IPs such as the Borderlands series, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Would you have liked to have seen Microsoft acquire Gearbox Software? Let us know in the comments below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 16
Do we think this was the potential big acquisition referred to last week? If so it fell through and could we still expect a big acquisition on the horizon?
I think it would have been a terrible deal for around 1.3 billion, my understanding is Borderlands is owned by 2k games.
So outside of a team that makes pretty medicore games you get the great IPs like godfall, battleborn and of course Duke Nukem....
@uptownsoul oh my bad I read a article on another site saying differently but looked it up apparently 2k must have some kind of first look/ right to publish deal for borderlands.
Can anyone think of an example where MS have bought out a studio and they've produced improved games since the take over. Probably some out there but I'm not too knowledgeable really.
Know they bought the studios that made Halo and Forza (I think) so are probably success stories. Rare is a fail in my eyes as is Lionhead and Digital Anvil I suppose. Then there's the studio that was bought to make Kinnect games (fail).
Mojang is debatable as they haven't really improved/destroyed that studio.
Very hit and miss - so not sure if I would or wouldn't want Gearbox under MS power. Currently happy with what they produce and happy to be left alone really.
Gearbox oh gearbox, what a shame. While Borderlands is cool, they used to have good-but-now-forgotten IP like Brothers in Arms. The only thing i want to see from Gearbox(aside of Borderlands) nowadays is that IP getting reinvented & resurrected back to it's former glory on current-gen consoles & PC as to not end-up in it's current sad state of being mobile-only-game crap.
Not sure that more shooters is what's needed. Xbox already has a lot of IP and expertise in this genre to make sequels or even better...new games.
Apart from Borderlands what have they got... And borderlands is stale... Found finishing 3 a slog
Headline should read: "Microsoft forgets what company Randy works at - almost buys Gearbox."
@StylesT I'm happily replaying BL1, 2 and PS for like the 50th across six platforms (currently playing on my Switch), I'm yet to complete one playthough of BL3.
Gearbox had Brothers in Arms (dormant), Battleborn (dead), and Colonial Marines (murdered). 10 years ago, MS buying Gearbox would have been as big as the bethesda purchase for me. But with their recent performance, and Randy 'eternal rectal headwear' Pitchford, I'm ok not buying their future games.
I mentioned this in the other article, but after reading Take Two will continue to publish Borderland games, I have a feeling somethint in that publishing contract killed Microsofts interest in the studio.
It has been stated in the past by some insiders that being able to get all rights, specially streaming, is important for MS when looking at any aquisition.
@StonyKL althogh MS had a terrible track record, all that was an entirely different Microsoft. And I'm not just saying that because "times change". Don Mattrik was in charge of XBox and destroying all good faith Xbox had built up, you can chalk almost everything you listed to that single individual.
Then there was parent Microsoft, lead by Steve Balmer, whom only cared about "windows everywhere" and wanted Xbox to run Windows 8.
Their mentality on acquisitions was basically one of assimilation. Absorn and make them all follow The Microsoft Ways.
The current leadership has a very different mentality, including just letting acquired studios do what they have done, but with more budget, and less worries about sales as a final metric thanks to GamePass engagement being more important than sales.
@Tharsman That's no joke. I was told once by someone inside, from an acquired company, that they were made to do things "the Microsoft way", in exact words. There really must have been an internal tagline of "the Microsoft way" - that's not hyperbole it's an actual quote from policy! That was back in the day, even before Matrick, I believe. Gates was still running the show (through Balmer.) It's really only Nadella that changed things in general there.
@StylesT @Richnj I can still BL1 and 2 over and over. 3 I really have no interest in. Even people.who are Borderlands fanatics don't really talk about 3 much. There is just something about 3 that makes it just meh compared to the other two.
@Tasuki TBH I've always felt the entire series was meh at best and never stood the tremendous appeal it has. There's nothing particularly wrong about it, and I adore Claptrap, but the rest of the game just feels so.....bland. Nothing ever really sucks me into it.
I did get 3 and yeah, something about that one feels extra bland. Fun-ish to play co-op but still bland. part of it is it seems battles just go on and on forever long after it feels like they should have ended. Instead of shots of adrenaline they end up feeling like a grind.
@Tharsman
I wish I could like your post more tharsman. All companies change (look at Blizzard they are a shell of there former self and so is BioWare) as people move on
Also alot of people forget even after Phil Spencer took overthe Xbox division under Balmer was in the devices group and the guy who ran that reportedly hated video games and didn't think Microsoft had any business in that sector.
It wasn't until
Nedella took over that the vision in ms was clear that Xbox needed it's own gaming division in Microsoft and for the last 3 years we have been seeing the payoff for this with a ton of acqusitions, new studio and investments in things like xcloud and ect ect
Dodged a bullet. Super expensive and one IP + poor management.
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