Today, Gearbox Software — the team behind the popular Borderlands franchise — announced that it was opening a new studio in Montreal, Canada. The company will invest $158 million and create 250 jobs in the region. It seems like Gearbox wants to increase its games output in the coming years.
Gearbox was acquired by the Embracer Group in April 2021. News of the expansion comes just months after that deal closed. Borderlands and Duke Nukem are some of the more popular franchises in gaming, and it makes sense that Gearbox"s new owner would want to capitalize on that. The Embracer Group owns over 70 studios, including major industry players such as Koch Media, Saber Interactive, and THQ Nordic.
Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford said the following about why Gearbox was expanding.
The Gearbox Entertainment Company is ambitiously looking both internationally and domestically to grow our creative engine and meet the incredible demand our customers have for talent-crafted experiences with our intellectual property. Following our successful experience establishing Gearbox Studio Quebec, our investment in a new studio in Montreal creates an exciting new prospect for Montreal-based talent.
According to a report by Game Developer, Sébastien Caisse and Pierre-André Déry will lead the new studio while it works on the Borderlands franchise and also creates new, original games. The two have tremendous amounts of experience in the gaming industry so it seems like Gearbox"s Montreal team is in good hands.