With Borderlands 4 Waiting in the Wings, New Gearbox Owner Take-Two Plans to Pursue ‘Growth Opportunities’

ign.com:

Take-Two plans to go big on Borderlands now it owns Gearbox Entertainment.

In March, the embattled Embracer Group sold Borderlands developer Gearbox to Take-Two for $460 million. As part of the deal, Take-Two, which through its publishing division 2K already had a long history with Gearbox, now owns the franchises Borderlands, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, Brothers in Arms, and Duke Nukem. Gearbox is joining 2K Games and will continue to be led by CEO and founder Randy Pitchford.

Gearbox has enjoyed enormous success with the looter shooter Borderlands franchise over the years. It’s sold nearly 86 million units across all titles, with Borderlands 2 secure as 2K’s top-selling video game with 28 million sold. Borderlands 3 is 2K’s fastest-selling video game ever, and has sold nearly 20 million units to date.

Currently, Gearbox has both a new Borderlands and "at least one exciting new intellectual property" in development. 2K Games plans to reveal the "next iteration in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises" at Summer Game Fest, which is set to take place on Friday, June 7. Fans speculate this game may be Borderlands 4.

If so, it would match up neatly with the release of the Borderlands movie, which comes out on August 9. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has teased Borderlands 4 in the past. "Look, we haven't even announced anything of it," Pitchford said back in March. "Clearly, we're working on something. And I know what we're working on, and holy shit... It's the greatest thing we've ever done. And I can't wait, but it's not time yet. It's not time yet. There will be a time."

Speaking in an investor-focused call following its latest financial results, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said the company now plans to double-down on Borderlands, and had already identified “many potential growth opportunities” for the series.

“Borderlands 3 outpaced our forecasts and we are thrilled that Randy Pitchford and Gearbox Entertainment are slated to join officially