FTS: Gearbox Entertainment X Embracer Group

Embracer Group and The Gearbox Entertainment Company Successfully Complete Merger

 

FRISCO, Texas (April 6, 2021) – The Gearbox Entertainment Company and Embracer Group announced today that they successfully closed on their up to $1.3 billion merger agreement. Embracer and Gearbox announced in February of 2021 their intention to merge. With this, Gearbox Entertainment is the seventh operating group in the Karlstad, Sweden-headquartered Embracer Group, which has an extensive catalog of more than 240 franchises and more than 7,000 employees around the world. The merger fuels positions Gearbox for rapid growth with its robust IP catalog, AAA development studios, and North American publishing capabilities. 

 

“Our team is incredibly excited about the opportunity we now have,” said Randy Pitchford, founder of The Gearbox Entertainment Company. “Far from riding off into the sunset, we are now positioned to launch new IP, do more with our existing brands, grow our base of incredibly talented team members, and capitalize on new opportunities in our mission to entertain the world. This just the start."

 

With its 550 team members in Frisco, Texas, and Quebec City, Gearbox Entertainment is best known for its critically and commercially successful Borderlands and Brothers in Arms franchises and the development of award-winning, best-selling games in the Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, 007 James Bond, and Halo franchises.   

 

“This was the largest merger that Embracer has undertaken. I am grateful to Randy and his entire team for their enthusiasm, creativity, and vision, says Lars Wingefors, founder and CEO of Embracer Group. "We are confident in Gearbox's long-term future within Embracer Group."

 

Juno Capital Partners and Union Square Advisors LLC acted as M&A and financial advisors to Gearbox on this transaction and Fenwick & West acted as legal counsel.

 

About The Gearbox Entertainment Company

The Gearbox Entertainment Company, LLC is an award-winning, independent creator and distributor of transmedia entertainment for people around the world. Gearbox Entertainment develops and publishes products through its subsidiaries, Gearbox Software and Gearbox Publishing. Gearbox Entertainment has become widely known for successful game franchises including Brothers in Arms and Borderlands, as well as acquired properties Duke Nukem and Homeworld, which it distributes across the world. Gearbox Software is an award-winning, independent developer of interactive entertainment based in Frisco, Texas. It was founded in 1999 by game industry veterans, and its first release was Half-Life: Opposing Force. Gearbox Publishing was established in 2016 with the goal of helping developers around the world bring their products to market while retaining their unique creative visions. More information can be found at www.GearboxSoftware.com.

- D. Hewitt

This is the first time I've ever heard of Embracer, but it's behind a lot of recognizable games. I like games in their catalog but some completely sucked, so I hope this is good news for Gearbox and not the deathblow. We know how big wigs can affect games, but if they increase or maintain quality then this will pay off.

Support us below!

FTS: Halo World Championship 2018 Finals to Take Place at CenturyLink Field Event Center

Xbox Wire: Halo World Championship 2018 finals will take place at CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, WA.

Halo World Championship is the crown jewel of Halo eSports, with 16 qualifying teams from around the world competing for their share of $1 million. It will be going down from April 13 - 15 (2018).

Today also marks the start of the Halo World Championship circuit with the HaloWC 2018 Orlando Open.

This is the first open Halo tournament run by newly signed partner MLG in five years, with more than 100 teams registered to compete. There is $50,000 on the line along with qualification points, as well as $5,000 for the Free-For-All tournament. 

- Tahir "Tashi" Hasandjekic | eSports Producer | 343 Industries

You can watch here: Mixer.com/Halo, Twitch.tv/Halo and live.Twitter.com/halo

Day 1      |      Day 2      |      Day 3

Brought to you by the... Baby Fu Clothing Co!

From the Source: Xbox... Halo, Halo, Halo!

Big Boss isn't feeling the best at the moment, but we are wishing him well and look forward to his return. Outside of vacations being in order... he wants the news to continue rolling out for the true supporters of SDGT Ent. So, it's time to roll more out.

Halo and Rooster Teeth – a match worthy of the Great Journey! Last weekend at RTX 2016 in Austin, TX, 343 Industries hosted a panel diving deep into the massive Halo universe, revealing new information including Halo Wars 2 multiplayer beta stats, a first look at Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10, Content Browser for Halo 5: Guardians, a look at the exclusive Halo figure from the Halo Legendary Crate, details on Fireteam Apollo, and more.

Halo Wars 2 Beta Stats and Blisterback Preview

Announced on stage at E3 2016, the Halo Wars 2 Beta ran from June 13 to June 22 and featured two game modes, Domination and Deathmatch. The Halo Wars 2 Beta was a true developer beta, releasing eight months before launch on February 21, 2017, giving 343 Industries and Creative Assembly the chance to listen to player feedback and make changes in time for launch.

As seen in the infographic above, players put in work during the open beta and racked up more than 1.2 million hours of gameplay. Our favorite stat is how expensive it costs to keep UNSC troops and vehicles healthy – $831 trillion! Also very cool is the win percentage between the UNSC and Banished, with the latter just barely coming out on top. Commander Cutter will definitely have his work cut out for him next February.

343 Industries also previewed one of the seven brand new units to Halo Wars 2: the Blisterback. Clad in the distinct red armor of the Banished, the Blisterback is a heavy-artillery, long-range Brute vehicle designed for precise elimination of enemy factions.

Thanks to everyone who jumped in to the open beta on Xbox One and for those of you on PC, fret not; a second multiplayer beta will run closer to launch on both Xbox One and Windows 10!

First Look at Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10 and Content Browser

Ever since Forge was released in Halo 5: Guardians, players have found countless ways to create amazing, creative and wacky ways to utilize the powerful map-creating tool. So far, the community has grown to over 16.5 million players, who have spent more than 272 years in Forge and built nearly 330,000 maps!

In May, 343 Industries announced Forge is coming to Windows 10 and at RTX today, attendees and viewers got to see their first look at what it’s like to create maps using the precision of a mouse and keyboard! In Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10, players will have a redesigned interface specifically made for Windows 10 and interchangeable support between an Xbox One controller or a mouse and keyboard.

Of course, creating maps is only one part of the user-generated content experience in Halo 5: Guardians. The ability to easily find and share your maps with friends is very important, and 343 Industries finally lifted the covers on one of the most requested features in Halo 5: Guardians – the Content Browser! The Content Browser is available on both Xbox One and Windows 10, and enables easy sharing and searching of custom maps, game modes and Forge Object Groups.

A Retrospective on Red vs. Blue and New Look at Season 14

Fans of the short-series Red vs. Blue, take notice! Burnie Burns took the mic to discuss Season 14 of the show and talk about how far the series has come. Burns also showed a clip from Season 14 and shared details on Grifball and Forge Machinima that you definitely won’t want to miss.

Sneak Peek at the Halo Legendary Crate

343 Industries shared new details and items in the first Halo Legendary Crate, “SPARTAN-IV INITIATION,” which is currently available for preorder. As previously mentioned, crates are shipped every two months with the first coming out in August. Each Halo Legendary Crate contains a figurine from the Halo Legendary Figure Collection, and fans got to see the first figure at RTX!

Anyone who orders the Halo Legendary Crate and links their Microsoft account will become a member of Fireteam Apollo, a brand new superfan program steeped in Halo lore. Members of Fireteam Apollo will receive an exclusive in-game emblem, exclusive REQ packs for Halo 5: Guardians, and access to new stories told digitally and through in-crate items. Year-long subscribers will receive a “Legendary” pin.

Halo 5: Guardians – Bigger and Better than Ever

Since Halo 5: Guardians launched back in October, 343 Industries has continuously updated the game each month with new game modes, maps, armors, weapon skins and more customization options. Warzone Firefight, the eighth and largest content release to date, recently arrived in Halo 5: Guardians and at RTX, 343 Industries spoke about the past, present and future of Halo 5: Guardians’ sustain content and what it means for the franchise moving forward.

It’s never been a better time to be a Halo fan, with Halo Wars 2 on the horizon, new future content releases for Halo 5: Guardians, the expanding world of Forge, and amazing collectibles coming through the Halo Legendary Crate! Stay tuned for more!

Even though the videos below are a bit of a Meh, they are additional ways to get even more out of your Halo experience. I think Halo would be even more at home if they gave you an experience from the standard 1st person view but with the ability to travel like you do in Mass Effect games. I know its story driven... but Mass Effect has a great story and the ability to go where you want for the most part. +Microsoft

Looking back: I may be one of a few, but Halo 4 felt like a bit of a blur. Halo 3 was much more memorable, even if I enjoyed Halo 4, I honestly don't remember much of what I enjoyed about it. I do want to enjoy Halo 5's story one day soon.

From The Source: Xbox - New Xbox One Backward Compatibility Titles Playable Today

Those backwards compatible 360 titles for Xbox One are still rolling out... and we have the newest line up below (compliments of Microsoft). Game on!

______________________________________

"Last month we launched one of the most requested features: Xbox One Backward Compatibility, with an initial set of more than 100 titles, allowing fans to take their Xbox 360 experience to Xbox One." 
                                                                                                                                                     - Addie

Titles

·         Braid

·         DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION

·         Doritos Crash Course

·         Fable III

·         Halo: Reach

·         Hydro Thunder

·         Iron Brigade

·         Kane & Lynch 2

·         Motocross Madness

·         MS.PAC-MAN

·         Peggle 

·         Portal: Still Alive

·         Spelunky

·         Splosion Man

·         Ticket to Ride™

·         Zuma's Revenge!