Earlier today, it was made official that Borderlands developer Gearbox would be merging with holding company Embracer. The deal set the company back a whopping $1.3 billion, with Gearbox coming out and stating that the money would help facilitate big projects the company is hoping to pursue going forward into the future.
One of the biggest questions coming from the acquisition was whether 2K Games would continue to publish Gearbox's Borderlands series, with the company having distributed each iteration of the franchise. Sending a statement to IGN, 2K confirmed that there wouldn't be any significant changes to its relationship with Gearbox, telling the publication that it's planning to retain its "role as the publisher for the Borderlands IP or any other projects [it's] currently working on with the studio."
On top of the news, it also offered its congratulations to Gearbox for teaming with Embracer, claiming that it's happy for the developer. The pair will seemingly continue to work together for the foreseeable future, even with the studio's newfound agreement. It'll be interesting to see whether the pair decide to work on a new Borderlands game now that the third title has hit shelves, or whether 2K's reference to "other projects" results in a fresh IP. Seeing as the team has been fairly steadfast in its dedication to Borderlands in recent years, deviating only to develop the ill-fated Battleborn in 2016, there's definitely a chance it could pursue something new.
Embracer is the holding company behind several major publishing names, which is why many doubted that Borderlands would continue to be published by 2K in the wake of the deal. Included in its roster are THQ Nordic and Deep Silver, the likes of which have worked to bring massive games to the screen in recent years. Last year alone saw THQ Nordic distribute remakes of Destroy All Humans and SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated, while the company intends to have an equally big year in 2021, publishing Biomutant this May.
Meanwhile, Deep Silver just released Gods Will Fall and is already working on publishing Chivalry 2 and a multiplayer Metro spin-off. Both companies would've likely been a good home for Borderlands, but Embracer seems to be happy allowing Borderlands and 2K to stick together moving forward.
Borderlands 3 continues to receive new DLC and events over a year since its release, meaning lovers of the franchise are continuing to grind, loot, and kill their way through Gearbox's latest zany triumph. With Embracer now behind them, there's no denying that the studio has all the tools to move on to the next entry in the franchise or, if it desires, embark on a new venture.
Source: IGN