Developer Gearbox Software announced yesterday that it had been purchased by Embracer Group for $1.3 billion. The move was one that came as somewhat of a surprise, but it doesn’t seem as though Embracer was the only one eyeing Gearbox from afar.

According to new reporting from Brad Sams, Microsoft was also potentially interested in picking up Gearbox and having the developer join its Xbox Game Studios lineup. Sams only goes as far to say that Microsoft “looked at Gearbox” but doesn’t go any further than that. As such, it’s unknown if a deal of any sort between the two parties was ever formally put on the table. Still, it’s an interesting possibility to think about.

Gearbox was one of the company's that inspired the original tweet, i believe Microsoft looked at Gearbox but clearly didn't complete the deal.https://t.co/L06i6pmPBu

— Brad Sams (@bdsams) February 3, 2021

Over the past month, in particular, Sams has been teasing quite a bit that he’s heard word of many acquisitions being in the works. Not only has Microsoft been one of the companies that has been said to be looking into acquisitions, but Sams has also mentioned Electronic Arts, Google, Amazon, and Sony. Given that Google announced earlier this week that it would be dissolving its Stadia Games & Entertainment division, though, it stands to reason that the company may not be in this mix any longer.

It’s also worth noting that based on what we’ve heard in the past, multiple acquisition deals have been in the works behind the scenes. While Gearbox is no doubt a major one of these, it's likely not the only studio that we'll see join a larger company in the coming months.



Posted: Feb 05, 2021 8:11 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/xbox-reportedly-almost-bought-borderlands-developer-gearbox/