Gearbox has been sold to Take 2 Interactive for $460 million, consolidating all of 2K's ownership and holdings in the Borderlands franchise. Despite this, the sale won't be finalized until June 2024, and there is still a chance that Borderlands 4 could be released this year. However, with Take 2's focus on live service games, it's likely that Borderlands 4 could be headed in that direction, which could be a wrong move for the franchise. Gearbox's struggles with online connectivity could also pose a problem. Without continued support and a thriving player population, live service games are doomed to fail, as seen with Borderlands 3 and the Pre-Sequel.
Key Takeaways
Table of Contents
- Take 2 Interactive has purchased Gearbox for $460 million.
- The sale won't be finalized until June 2024.
- Borderlands 4 may be headed in a live service direction, which may not be ideal for the franchise.
- There is still a small possibility that Borderlands 4 may be released in 2022.
- 2K's ownership of the Borderlands franchise may make any sale of Gearbox to another company unlikely.
What Happened?
Embracer Group has announced that they have finalized agreements with the sale of Gearbox to Take 2 Interactive for $460 million. This acquisition is the most simple, likely, and boring in the history of gaming. Take 2 Interactive, 2K's parent company, has bought Gearbox outright, consolidating all of 2K's ownership and holdings in the Borderlands franchise underneath One Umbrella.
What Does This Mean for Gearbox?
Not much, honestly. 2K's ownership of the Borderlands franchise may make any sale of Gearbox to another company unlikely. This is because of 2K's involvement in Borderlands 2, where Sega alleged that Gearbox cin funds from alien colonial Marines to develop Borderlands 2. 2K would bail Gearbox out in a backro deal that would end with Sega dropping the lawsuit, 2K paying Sega back the money Gearbox used for Borderlands 2, and gaining the rights to publish the Borderlands franchise in perpetuity.
What Does This Mean for Borderlands 4?
The details of this sale are public knowledge, but the deal itself won't be finalized until June 2024. This means that there is still a small possibility that Borderlands 4 may be released in 2022. However, seeing as Take 2 Interactive is heavily committed to liveaction services like GTA online Shark cards or 2K basketballs my team, it's very likely that Borderlands 4 could be headed in a live service direction. This may not be the ideal direction for the franchise, as Gearbox's biggest struggle in game development has always been their online network connectivity.
The Downside of a Live Service Borderlands 4
An always online live service Borderlands with server-side saves would do away with a lot of the trading and duping weapons, the time-honored tradition in the Borderlands series, and also kill any future for modded content. Considering that the most popular Borderlands in the series right now is 10 years old, would Borderlands 1 and 2 even be playable if it was released as a live service game? Without continued support and a thriving population, live service games are just doomed to rock.
The Future of Borderlands 4
Seeing as Gearbox's last game, the Pre-Sequel, was treated as an easy cash grab for 2K, abandoning support of the Pre-Sequel and lumping all DLC together in a poor attempt to fulfill a season pass they sold off the back of previous Borderlands games, it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence that if Borderlands 4 were to release as a live service game and flounder like Borderlands 3 did or the Pre-Sequel did early in its lifespan, if 2K wouldn't just cut their losses, pull the plug on continued support, and just continue working on wonderlands 2 as their next release. This would leave us with a Borderlands 4 live service game just frozen in time to join the ranks of Outriders, Anthem, and most recently Suicide Squad kills the Justice League.
FAQ
What happened to Gearbox?
Gearbox was sold to Take 2 Interactive for $460 million.
What does this mean for Borderlands 4?
Borderlands 4 may be headed in a live service
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