Following yesterday's news that Borderlands developer Gearbox Software had been purchased by THQ Nordic and Deep Silver holding company Embracer Group Studios, many wondered what would be next for the seminal developer. Gearbox had spent many years on The Borderlands series after all, with many questioning whether the team will move on to a fourth iteration of the IP or something wholly new.

Although it seems the studio is focused on finishing up its work on Borderlands 3 first, Head of Gearbox Randy Pitchford did have some interesting words about what's next for the developer, hinting that the team won't be playing it safe going forward. Speaking with GamesBeat, Pitchford claimed riskier ideas are a big part of the company's future plan, with the studio planning to try out some innovative new IPs that other publishers likely wouldn't have greenlit.

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"We have so many new IP concepts that are in our incubator, that are ready to explode," the CEO claimed, teasing that a lot of publishers "can’t be comfortable" with the types of games it wants to make next. According to Pitchford, the deal with Embracer has made it possible to go for broke with its crazier concepts, claiming that now it's part of the company, "we get to take that risk." The CEO and the team clearly have some fun new ideas outside of the world of Borderlands, so hopefully, Emracer's financial backing can help bring them to life.

Speaking on the idea of creating a new IP, Pitchford elaborated on how working on original ideas is a core part of the company's DNA, discussing Borderlands and the effect it had on the industry. "Before Borderlands, no action game had RPG mechanics and metagame like that," he tells the publication, going on to emphasize that the studio "love[s] innovating."

It's clear that whatever the team winds up moving on to, it will look to continue pushing boundaries and trying out new ideas. Seeing as Embracer purchased Gearbox for $1.3 billion as well, it's clear the team will have the financial backing to work on something just as ambitious as Pitchford hints their risky ideas will be.

Outside of discussing the concept of a new franchise, the interview covers several other interesting aspects of the acquisition, including the potential for Embracer owned studios to work on Gearbox franchises, why the team opted for this deal over others it's been offered in the past, and the structure of the merger itself. It looks as though it signals a significant change for Gearbox going forward, allowing it to work on fresh concepts with plenty of support from Embracer and its subsidiaries.

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Source: GamesBeat