Multiple Xbox insiders claim Gearbox were being looked at by Microsoft as potential acquisition candidates.
It was recently announced that Embracer Group, who has been on a major acquisition spree for some time now, have added Borderlands developer Gearbox to their internal portfolio in a deal worth $1.3 billion. It seems, however, that if things had gone a little differently, Gearbox could have ended up being bought out by someone else.
Xbox insiders Brad Sams and Jez Corden took to Twitter not long after the announcement of the Embracer and Gearbox deal to claim that originally, Microsoft were looking into acquiring Gearbox to add to their portfolio first party studios. The deal, of course, wasn’t completed, and Gearbox instead ended up signing on with Embracer instead.
Xbox boss Phil Spencer said not long after the announcement of the ZeniMax deal (which is not a step closer to being finalized) that they are still looking to add more developers to their lineup, and that’s something that recent leaks and reports have re-iterated as well.
As far as Gearbox is concerned, it was recently confirmed that the developer would continue to work with 2K Games for the Borderlands series in spite of their Embracer Group deal. Read more on that through here.
This is true.
— Jez (@JezCorden) February 3, 2021