Popular Indie Game Franchise Acquired by Borderlands Developer Gearbox

Randy Pitchford-led Gearbox software is on an acquisition streak it seems. They have been more interested in buying developers than in making games nowadays. A while ago Gearbox took Volition, developers of The Saints Row series under their wings.

And now they have gone ahead and taken over a fan-favorite indie IP.

Gearbox brings in a new addition in the form of Risk of Rain

Risk of Rain creators HOPOO games have announced on Twitter that Risk of Rain IP has now been acquired by gearbox software. And all the future installments of the game would be in Gearbox Software’s hands.

Taking to Twitter, the official Risk of Rain account posted this message: “After years of passionate publishing work on Risk of Rain 2, we have developed a deep love and respect for the IP. We are eager to prove ourselves as worthy custodians by continuing to bring you world-class content and ensuring a bright future for this genre-leading franchise.”

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The reaction to this acquisition has been a mixed one. Some people are excited while others are worried that in hands of a Developer/Publisher such as Gearbox the game might not remain as experimental as it was. But it is believed that Gearbox’s work on their own Borderlands series has pretty much proved the fact that there’s no lack of creativity there.

Risk of Rain is a rogue-like sci-fi shooter series that started life in 2013 as a side-scrolling shooter, on PC and consoles. This game was met with universal acclaim both from users and critics. Risk of Rain was then followed by a sequel, Risk of Rain 2 in 2020. The sequel got an even better reception than the first game, thanks to its shift from side-scrolling roots to a third-person perspective. The game offers users an option to play with their friends, which is a major selling point.

Gearbox has had its share of good games

Now Randy Pitchford’s Gearbox Software is not slack either. They developed the Brothers in Arms series for years. Then Gearbox moved on to a co-op sci-fi RPG series known as Borderlands. It was so successful that it has already had three installments and a movie based on the Borderlands universe is in production too.

And their success has allowed them to purchase the likes of Compulsion games, the developers of We Happy Few, Volition developers of The Saints Row series, and now Risk of Rain. It is pretty surprising that Gearbox just bought the IP, not its developers Hopoo Games. If one must guess, it might be because they want to stay independent. Whatever the reason might be, we can’t wait to see what Gearbox plans to do with Risk of Rain and what Hopoo Games reveal next.

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