Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford has said that its recent surprise acquisition by THQ Nordic parent company, Embracer Group, is good news for gamers because it allows the studio to explore new ideas and concepts.
In an interview with VentureBeat, Pitchford said that while Gearbox has worked with numerous publishers in the past, the studio has “so many new IP concepts” that are “ready to explode,” and it can now take risks without having to look for willing partners.
“We have so many new IP concepts that are in our incubator, that are ready to explode. We could wait for the right publishing partner who’s willing to make a bet, rather than only take a risk on something they know Gearbox has already done before,” Pitchford explained. “Those publishers that have taken risks on us for what we want to see next have always been rewarded. But for some reason they can’t be comfortable with that kind of risk. Now we get to take that risk.”
Pitchford gave the example of Epic Games having to sell Gears of War and moving away from the traditional publishing model to show what it’s truly capable of. In doing so, the developer made Fortnite, which became a global phenomenon and a huge money-maker.
“They burned the boats to show they could do something you’d never expect from Epic before, and got Fortnite out of that,” Pitchford continued. “We don’t have to do that. We can maximally deliver on the IP we have and pursue new IP as a consequence of this relationship.”
Gearbox has said that it’ll continue to work with publisher 2K on the Borderlands franchise.
[Source: VentureBeat]