Gearbox Software

Gearbox Software is a developer and publisher.

Gearbox Software Webpage, Facebook

An American development studio based in Frisco, Texas, led by Randy Pitchford - Gearbox Software develops games for PCs, consoles, and mobile devices. It's best known for the Brothers in Arms and Borderlands series, as well as Aliens: Colonial Marines. The company also runs a publishing business known as Gearbox Publishing.

From February 2021 to March 2024, Gearbox Software was owned by the Embracer Group. On March 28th, 2024, it was acquired by Take-Two Interactive.

History

After the Rebel Boat Rocker studio folded, five of its former employees - Randy Pitchford, Brian Martel, Landon Montgomery, Rob Heironimus, and Stephen Bahl - decided to start their own company. In February 1999, Gearbox Software was founded, with Randy Pitchford as the CEO.

Starting on a high note

Gearbox Software’s first major project was a partnership with Valve to develop console ports and expansions for Half-Life. In 2002, the studio also partnered with Activision to develop a PC port of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and signed a deal with Electronic Arts, to create the PC version of James Bond 007: Nightfire. A year later, under an agreement with Microsoft, Halo: Combat Evolved was released for PC.

First original works and major successes

2005 was a significant year for Gearbox Software, marked by the success of its first original title. That was Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30, which was warmly received by both players and critics. The game was a beginning of a series that soon produced two sequels - Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood and Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway - as well as several spin-offs, including D-Day for the PlayStation Portable (developed in collaboration with Ubisoft Shanghai), Brothers in Arms: DS for the Nintendo DS, and Brothers in Arms: Double Time for the Nintendo Wii.

In 2007, Gearbox Software announced that it would team up with SEGA to create a game based on the Alien film franchise. The studio was also working on an adaptation of the movie Heat (which ultimately failed), as well as developing an original sci-fi shooter - Borderlands. The latter debuted in 2009 and was a big success. It was only natural that in August 2011 the world first heard of Borderlands 2, which got released a little over a year later. The series also produced a prequel, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!, set between the events of the first and second games (though developed by 2K Australia), as well as spin-offs such as Borderlands Legends and Telltale Games' Tales from the Borderlands.

The Duke Nukem brand returns

Meanwhile, in September 2010, Gearbox Software announced that it had acquired the rights to the Duke Nukem franchise, allowing the studio to complete Duke Nukem Forever - a project previously abandoned by its former developer, 3D Realms. The game was released in June 2011 and, although it received negative reviews, its sales were satisfactory. Gearbox Software did not return to the franchise until 2016, when it released Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour - a remastered edition of the iconic Duke Nukem 3D, featuring new dialogue, levels, and music.

Alien - the first stumble

The game, based on the Alien film franchise, finally debuted in 2013 - almost six years after it was first announced. Its release was preceded by the mobile game Aliens: Infestation, which was released for the Nintendo DS in 2011 (developed in collaboration with WayForward Technologies). The major release, Aliens: Colonial Marines, failed to meet expectations and was criticized by both players and industry media.

Shortly after its release, reports surfaced that both the game’s resources and staff had been reassigned to other projects. Much of the game’s development was outsourced - Demiurge Studios and Nerve Software handled the DLC, while TimeGate Studios developed most of the single-player campaign. Furthermore, after it was revealed that the gameplay showcased at industry events differed from the final product, a lawsuit was filed against Gearbox Software and Sega. As a result, the Japanese publisher halted development of the Nintendo Wii U version, and shortly afterward, TimeGate Studios went bankrupt.

Homeworld returns

Good news arrived from Gearbox Software in April 2013, announcing that it had secured the rights to the Homeworld brand. Thanks to this, Homeworld Remastered Collection was able to debut in 2015, followed a year later by Deserts of Kharak - a prequel to the series developed by Blackbird Interactive, a studio made up largely of former Relic Entertainment members who had worked on the original games.

Moreover, by the end of 2015, Gearbox Software announced the launch of its publishing division under the Gearbox Publishing banner, along with the opening of a new studio in Quebec. The studio was founded by developers who had previously worked on series such as Assassin’s Creed, Skylanders, and Call of Duty.

Battleborn

In May 2016, the studio released Battleborn - a multiplayer first-person shooter with MOBA elements. Although never confirmed by the developers, it is believed that the project was a spin-off of Brothers in Arms: Furious 4, announced in 2011, which - according to Randy Pitchford - eventually evolved into a completely new game. Battleborn competed with games such as Overwatch from Blizzard Entertainment, but ultimately failed to achieve similar success. Its final update was released in October 2017.

The power of Borderlands

In August 2017, unofficial reports began circulating online about the mysterious Project 1v1, a new online FPS in development at Gearbox Software. Although the studio soon confirmed that it was indeed working on the title, no further information was released until July 2019, when its closed technical tests were held. Furthermore, in December 2018, Borderlands 2 VR was released - a special version of Borderlands 2, designed for virtual reality headsets. The game was first released on PlayStation 4, and in 2019, it was also available for PC.

March 2019 saw the announcement of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition - a remaster of the original game with all DLCs - and the debut reveal of Borderlands 3. While the former debuted on April 3rd, 2019, the latter hit store shelves on September 13th. Both games were released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. In June 2019 - seven years after the base game’s release - Borderlands 2 received its fifth major expansion, Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary.

Borderlands 3 launched to positive reviews and widespread praise from industry media. Financially, the game performed just as well - by November 2019, sales had surpassed 7 million copies, and by February 2020, it was announced that 8 million units had been sold. Despite the game’s strong sales, employee bonuses at the studio were lower than expected. Randy Pitchford cited high production costs and the company’s rapid expansion as the reasons for this. However, the CEO’s reputation was clouded by two financial controversies - first that emerged in late 2016 and the second a little more than two years later.

Despite a decline in employee morale, Gearbox Software continued to work on its latest project. The first DLC for Borderlands 3 - Moxxi’s Heist of the Handsome Jackpot - was released in December 2019. It was followed by Guns, Love, and Tentacles in March 2020 and Bounty of Blood: A Fistful of Redemption in June 2020. The fourth DLC for Borderlands 3 - Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck - was released in September 2020. In November, the game launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

Joining the Embracer Group

In February 2021, Sweden’s Embracer Group announced the acquisition of Gearbox Software and its publishing division, Gearbox Publishing. The two entities, which together formed the Gearbox Entertainment group, were acquired for $363 million, including $175 million in Embracer B shares. Embracer added that if Gearbox met specific financial and operational goals over the following six years, it could earn more than $1 billion in additional compensation, including $360 million in shares.

Under the new ownership, Gearbox Entertainment employees kept their existing roles, and Randy Pitchford stayed on as the company’s leader. Gearbox Entertainment also became the seventh operating group within Embracer Group and was granted full independence.

In August 2021, Gearbox Entertainment established a new development studio - Gearbox Studio Montreal - which was expected to employ around 250 people. In December 2021, Gearbox Entertainment announced its plans to acquire Perfect World Entertainment and its development studio - Cryptic Studios. The transaction was finalized in April 2022. Gearbox Entertainment continued to expand in 2022 - first with the acquisition of Lost Boys Interactive in April, and later in November by adding the Risk of Rain franchise, Volition (transferred from Deep Silver), and Eidos Shanghai (later renamed Gearbox Studio Shanghai) to its ranks.

Meanwhile, in March 2022, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands - a first-person looter shooter and spin-off of the Borderlands series - hit store shelves. The game was both a critical and commercial success, marking the start of a new franchise. In October - New Tales from the Borderlands - a narrative adventure game inspired by 2014’s Tales from the Borderlands: A Telltale Games Series, was released.

Acquisition by Take-Two Interactive

On March 28th, 2024, news broke that Take-Two Interactive would acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Company. The $460 million deal included Gearbox Software (and its satellite studios) and Gearbox Publishing, as well as the Borderlands, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms, and Duke Nukem franchises. From then on, Gearbox Software would operate under the 2K Games label.

Embracer Group would retain ownership of Gearbox Publishing San Francisco (set to be renamed), along with Cryptic Studios, Captured Dimensions, Lost Boys Interactive, and the Remnant, Hyper Light Breaker, Neverwinter, and Star Trek Online franchises.

Interestingly, the first consequence of the acquisition was layoffs at Gearbox Software. However, the company explained that the layoffs concerned only staff members not engaged in game development.