After a financially tumultuous year, it looks like Embracer Group is preparing to sell Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment. Rumors of a potential sale first emerged late last year, and according to a new report, a deal is currently being finalized.

Borderlands boss Randy Pitchford responds to Gearbox sale report

An update on Gearbox’s status was provided by Kotaku. The website’s sources claim that studio CEO Randy Pitchford held a town hall earlier this week, during which he said that a decision was made regarding Gearbox’s future. Kotaku claims to have heard that a sale is currently being finalized. However, it’s not known at present who the buyer is.

In response to Kotaku’s request for comment, Pitchford released somewhat of an odd statement, expressing his delight over his company being the subject of rumors and speculations. “I’m delighted that what we might be up to is interesting enough to people that you want to make a story about us for your readers,” he said. “I’m honored and humbled that our company is a topic of rumor, speculation, and discussion.”

Pitchford added Gearbox will be “thrilled” to reveal what’s next when it has some news to share.

Elsewhere, Embracer Group is also selling Saber Interactive.

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Gearbox has confirmed the existence of the rumored Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box for PS5 and PS4, announcing it will launch later this week with a 60% discount. In fact, if players already own some of the games within the collection, they can purchase an upgrade for just $30.

What’s in the Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box?

Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box will include all six games in the Borderlands franchise, as well as all of the DLC released before September 1, 2023. These are:

• Borderlands
• Borderlands 2
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
• Tales from the Borderlands
• Borderlands 3
• New Tales from the Borderlands

The Pandora’s Box release date is September 1, 2023, meaning players have to wait less than 24 hours to get their hands on the entire collection for PS4 or PS5. The collection will only be available digitally from the PlayStation Store and is usually priced at $149.99. However, the collection will launch with a 60% discount at a price of $59.99 for a limited time. Neither developer Gearbox Software nor publisher 2K mentioned for how long the discount will be available.

Players who already own some of the titles within the compilation will be able to complete their collection for a discounted price. If you own a digital or physical copy of Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition or Borderlands: The Handsome Collection on PS4, or Borderlands 3 on PS5 or PS4, there will be a $30 upgrade offer. All players need to do is to start one of those listed games and follow the in-game instructions.

Meanwhile, Gearbox also announced a new Echoes from the Borderlands podcast series that goes into detail about the franchise’s history and legacy. The first episode airs at 5 AM PT on September 1 and will air at the same time every Thursday following. The podcast can be found on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Pandora.

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Actress Angie Jho Lee’s mention of Borderlands 4 in her online resume was a mistake, according to Genvid Entertainment — the company behind Borderlands’ upcoming interactive streaming series. After some took her resume as confirmation of a new Borderlands game, Genvid clarified that Lee is working on the recently announced Borderlands EchoVision Live.

Gearbox has yet to confirm Borderlands 4

It’s unclear why Lee specifically mentioned Borderlands 4, but Genvid was keen to put rumors to rest. In a statement to IGN, the company said that it reached out to the actress and asked her to rectify the error.

“While the series takes place within the Borderlands universe and is made in partnership with Gearbox Entertainment, it is not a Borderlands game,” Genvid clarified. “We reached out to Angie and asked her to make this change on her personal account to reflect the accurate role with the interactive series.”

This doesn’t mean a new main Borderlands entry isn’t coming. Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford previously teased “working on the big one” with reference to the Borderlands franchise. Despite its acquisition by Embracer Group, Gearbox will continue to lead the development of future Borderlands games. Pitchford has said that there will be no co-developers assisting with Borderlands’ development.

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Borderlands developer Gearbox Software is apparently working on a new AAA IP with the intention of making it “family friendly.” That’s according to a number of job descriptions that have popped up on Gearbox’s website, some of which also hint at a co-op and first-person game.

Gearbox’s new IP will be a departure from Borderlands

As spotted by folks over at VeryAli Gaming, Gearbox is looking for a lead producer with a “passion for family friendly, cooperative, games.” Interestingly, the job ad mentions Unreal Engine 4, which suggests that Gearbox has yet to pivot to UE5.

The mystery project will be a “large-scale” AAA game, and looking at the job description for a senior UI programmer, we learn that it may be played from a first-person perspective as Gearbox is specifically looking for someone with experience designing first-person games.

Other open job ads found by VeryAli Gaming also mention crafting a “compelling and replayable” game with “engaging” enemies and combat. The job descriptions also mention “progression-related game loops” and monetization strategies, suggesting that the game will have RPG and live service elements.

Gearbox has yet to announce its next project. As of 2021, the company is a subsidiary of Embracer Group.

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Borderlands has dabbled in narrative adventures and is changing mediums altogether with the upcoming film, and now it is going even further outside of the shooter genre with Borderlands EchoVision Live. This unique experience is an interactive series is being developed by Genvid Entertainment, the team also developing Silent Hill: Ascension.

What is Borderlands EchoVision Live?

This series follows eight all-new characters marooned in Eden-6, a planet from Borderlands 3, as they try to “follow in the footsteps of Vault Hunters and bask in their glory.” Those who tune in will be able to determine what these character do and how they evolve. Genvid CEO Jacob Navok released a statement that explained more about the premise.

“Every decision you make, every moment you participate matters.” said Navok. “This is your chance to make a mark, to leave a legacy in this world. Decisions don’t have a reset button, and are shared by all participants. Borderlands EchoVision Live is another major franchise coming exclusively to the Genvid global platform.”

Chief creative officer at Genvid Stephan Bugaj also detailed what made the Borderlands world good to mine for this type of experience.

“We love the Borderlands universe because the fanbase has fully embraced its focus on diverse characters, heartfelt storytelling, and irreverent humor, traits that fit our communal storytelling format perfectly,” said Bugaj. “Borderlands EchoVision Live is not only a brand new story and cast set in the Borderlands universe, but an exciting new type of experience for the franchise in which the entire audience collaborates and competes to drive narrative outcomes.”

Genvid noted that Silent Hill was going live sometime in 2023, but details surrounding Borderlands EchoVision Live’s release date will come in the future. The studio also announced at Comic-Con that it is making an interactive series based on DC Comics heroes called DC Heroes United.

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After floating around for nearly a decade, the Borderlands film is finally almost out. Lionsgate Films revealed that the Borderlands movie release date is August 9, 2024.

Who is in the Borderlands movie?

Deadline reported this release date, but didn’t reveal any additional details that hadn’t already been out there. The film’s Twitter account also confirmed the Borderlands movie release date shortly after.

It stars Cate Blanchett as Lilith, Kevin Hart as Roland, Jack Black as Claptrap, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dr. Patricia Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, Janina Gavankar as Commander Knoxx, and Gina Gershon as Mad Moxxi, just to name a few. It follows Lilith as she returns to Pandora to find her daughter.

The movie has been shuffling around Hollywood since 2015 when it was officially announced. It changed hands more than a few times before The Last of Us director and writer Craig Mazin wrote the screenplay, which is when director Eli Roth was attached in February 2020. It was filmed in early 2021, but Deadpool director Tim Miller shot some reshoots in January 2023. Nothing has been shown of the Borderlands movie so far, except for a silhouetted picture of the cast.

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There are currently no announced Borderlands games, but there is something cooking up over in Pandora. A new listing for some kind of entry in the series has popped up online, the title of which directly implies that it will be a Borderlands compilation.

The Borderlands Compilation: Pandora’s Box looks to be a bundle

As spotted by Gematsu, The Borderlands Compilation: Pandora’s Box showed up on South Africa’s Film and Publication Board, which published its classified films and games for April. While there are a few known games on there like Immortals of Aveum, Crash Team Rumble, and Redfall, there’s also the aforementioned Borderlands compilation. No other details are listed, other than it is a console and PC title.

Neither Gearbox Software nor 2K have revealed what exactly this could be, but it’s clearly some sort of big bundle. It’s possible that it includes all four traditional Borderlands games: Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and Borderlands 3.

The previous Borderlands compilation, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, only had the first three titles, so this would be an opportunity to get the four shooters in one place. It’s unclear if it will also have the fantasy spin-off Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands or Tales from the Borderlands and New Tales from the Borderlands, the two narrative adventure titles developed by Telltale Games and Gearbox Software, respectively.

Some Borderlands games are also exiting PlayStation Plus. The Handsome Collection just left Extra on July 18, and Borderlands 3 is one of the games leaving on August 15. It seems natural to take these games off a subscription service if they’re going to be resold in the near future. The Borderlands movie is also scheduled for sometime in 2024, so it would make sense to have something a little newer on physical or digital storefronts somewhere around that time.

There’s already a native PS5 upgrade for Borderlands 3, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, and New Tales from the Borderlands, and the PS4 port of The Handsome Collection runs at a 4K at 60 frames per second on PS5. 2014’s Tales from the Borderlands is the only potential Borderlands game that could see some sort of upgrade, granted that this unannounced bundle is anything more than a simple repackaging of existing ports.

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Gearbox Entertainment, the developer of the Borderlands franchise, has revealed that parent company Embracer Group has rebranded Eidos Shanghai as Gearbox Studio Shanghai. Embracer purchased Eidos studios in Montreal, Sherbrooke, and Shanghai from Square Enix in May this year. It has repositioned Eidos Shanghai in what looks to be a supportive role for Gearbox Entertainment moving forward.

Gearbox’s expansion into Asia is important for “long-term growth”

As noted in a press release, this news marks Gearbox’s first expansion into Asia, which the company believes is “an important market in the company’s long-term growth strategy.” Created in 2008, Eidos Shanghai has previously worked on other triple-A games from Square Enix, such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

So their expertise certainly looks like it will be useful for the next game in the Borderlands (or Tiny Tina’s) franchise or if the developer chooses to expand its reach into Asian markets. Or perhaps, a mobile Borderlands game is in the works?

Gigi Ning, the general manager for Eidos Shanghai, will continue to serve in the role, but report to Gearbox Publishing (previously Perfect World Entertainment) based in San Francisco.

Earlier in November, Embracer Group confirmed that Square Enix Montreal, which was rebranded to Onoma just three weeks ago, had been closed down. It also acquired eight other studios including Middle-earth Enterprises back in August.

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Gearbox Software will finally be bringing Borderlands 3 cross-platform play to Playstation consoles almost a year after it was introduced for Xbox and PC. The update will allow PS5 and PS4 Borderlands 3 players to go vault hunting on Pandora with friends on any of the platforms already supported by cross-play.

When will the cross-platform update arrive on PS5 and PS4?

Borderlands 3 will get full cross-play on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia, and PC later this spring. The update will come months after cross-platform play was introduced for Xbox and PC in June 2021. Playstation consoles were supposed to get the update at the same time, but Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford later revealed they were asked to remove the feature from PlayStation consoles.

Neither Sony nor 2K Games commented further on the potential issue, but documents revealed during the Epic vs. Apple lawsuit revealed Sony had some interesting ideas to prevent developers from including cross-platform play in their games. Sony is apparently entitled to compensation from a developer or publisher if a game’s PS4 player-base drops too low in proportion to the revenue it generates in a month. This required developers to submit data so Sony could calculate their royalty payments, something likely to be off-putting for many.

In the meantime, Borderlands 3 players have managed to complete 30,000 trials to unlock the Guardian Head reward. The following SHIFT code will unlock the reward: CSW33-HBBJB-R65XH-XJTJ3-CT963. There’s also a code active for a special Diamond Key that can be redeemed until 8 am PT on May 1: WHKTJ-WF5SC-F6RBC-HJB33-3R5HB.

In other news, the new Playstation Plus tiers are launching earlier than anticipated in some regions. More countries will also be getting cloud streaming so they can make use of PlayStation Plus Premium. Elsewhere, Ubisoft may be looking at suitors for a buyout proposal after its share value plummeted in recent months.

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Nobody can accuse Embracer Group of resting on their laurels. While declaring their financial results for the last quarter, the company revealed they have 216 games in development between their many studios and publishers. Of those games, more than 25 of them are AAA games they’re aiming to release by March 2026 at the latest.

What AAA games are in development at Embracer?

While 216 games are in development, only 56 of them have been announced. This means many of the AAA games are yet to be announced too, and they might not necessarily be coming to PlayStation either. Of those that we know about, Deep Silver has Saints Row arriving on August 23. They are also still at work on Dead Island 2, and if the conference call is anything to go by, there’s a chance we may see this game before the end of fiscal year 2023 (before the end of March 2023).

Prime Matter has Payday 3 in development, although this is likely still several years away. Saber Interactive is working on seven AAA games, including Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 due later this year. Aspyr Media has Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, but this is also likely several years away. Finally, Gearbox has ten AAA games in progress, including Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands due to appear on March 25.

There are plenty of other Embracer titles due to appear soon. March will also bring Elex II, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Shadow Warrior 3, and Monster Energy Supercross 5. Road 96 will follow in April while Evil Dead: The Game will appear in May. Spellforce III Reforced was delayed until June. During the conference call, Milestone CEO Luisa Bixio also confirmed the company has acquired the Superbike World Championship license and the first SBK game will be released in July.

Embracer also recorded a few successes from their recent and most popular titles. Metro Exodus recently reached 6 million sales, while Hot Wheels Unleashed has reached 1 million sales and is Milestone’s most successful game yet. Over the last quarter, the Borderlands franchise has sold over 2 million copies while Borderlands 3 passed 15 million lifetime sales. Deep Rock Galactic doubled its player count after it was downloaded more than 9 million times on PlayStation Plus. The bad news was that Chorus failed to meet management expectations despite positive attention from fans and critics.

In other news, Ubisoft has confirmed Skull & Bones is now a game that puts multiplayer first. Elsewhere, ANNO: Mutationem is due to be released next month.

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