Take-Two refuses to be drawn on whether it’s a potential Gearbox suitor

Take-Two has refused to be drawn on whether it would be interested in acquiring Gearbox Entertainment, following reports that the Borderlands studio is potentially up for sale.

Reuters and Bloomberg both claimed this month that Embracer Group was considering selling Gearbox, which It acquired in 2021 in a deal worth up to $1.4 billion, as part of major restructuring plans.

The former was told that Embracer had received interest from third parties keen on buying the studio. Potential buyers, who reportedly mainly consist of “international gaming groups”, already have access to Gearbox marketing materials, it’s claimed.

Take-Two, which retains a long-term publishing deal with Gearbox for the Borderlands franchise and other titles, was asked about its potential interest in acquiring the studio during its AGM on Thursday.

“We’ve had a long-term relationship with Gearbox of which we’re very proud,” CEO Strauss Zelnick said when asked if the company might be a Gearbox suitor. “They’re a wonderful company, they’ve delivered for us—not just Borderlands, but also Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and other titles—and I’ve no doubt they’ll continue to be successful in the future.

“We’re thrilled that we have a long-term publishing relationship on these titles,” he added. “That publishing relationship exists without regard to the ultimate owner of Gearbox. But with regard to our potential interest, we don’t tend to speculate on potential transactions.”

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Take-Two said last month that the Borderlands franchise has sold-in over 81 million units since launching in 2009.

The most recent mainline series entry, 2019’s Borderlands 3, is publishing label 2K’s fastest-selling title and has sold over 18 million copies.

2012’s Borderlands 2 is 2K’s top-selling game since the label’s inception seven years earlier, with over 27 million copies sold.