Review of a AAA Video Game Company: Gearbox Software

Gearbox Software 


 

Origins - In 1999 Gearbox Software was created as an independent American video game company. The founders include: Randy Pitchford, Brian Martel, Stephan Bahl, Landon Montgomery, Rob Heironimus.

The current headquarters is located in Frisco, Texas, US.

Going through multiple transitions throughout the years, Gearbox Software eventually established a parent company named "Gearbox Entertainment" which had full control over the subsidiaries, and was in fact a AAA company, I chose to review Gearbox Software, given how it was what started the company in the first place and is still a developing subsidiary company for Gearbox Entertainment.

 

Business Model - Gearbox Software was initially made to port games from "Valve" to consoles. This is important for gaining experience but also building bridges with other developers; if of course the agreed upon job was completed sufficiently. Later after developing multiple games for bigger video game companies. Gearbox made their first original internet property (IP) "Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30," released in 2005. Creating a franchise and defining Gearbox's style for first person shooters.


Released Video Games - 

Brothers in Arms series:


Borderlands series:


Risk of Rain series: 


Homeworld 3: 


To name some of the most prominent ones. 

Affiliations - Gearbox Entertainment is the parent company, which is worth mentioning.

With working with the greatly esteemed Valve, and current publishers like "2k." Gearbox has had some noteworthy 'company'. 

The various studios under Gearbox: "2k Australia," "Gearbox Studio Shanghai," "Gearbox Studio Montreal" are also worth mentioning.

Acclaims - "Borderlands" a video game series originally intended to be a Mad Max inspired car video game. Is instead an Action role-playing, First-person shooter, Looter shooter (with some driving mechanics). Has mastered the fun of shooting things and looting new guns to shoot... you guessed it; things. The highly addictive game-loop, the potential for four player action coupled with impressionable characters such as the "Vault hunters" you play as. Create fun and chaotic builds, and enjoy the engaging and well told story (from the second one at least).

Borderlands has sold 86 million units across it's series.

Poor Practice - A personal critique I have of larger scale companies; not just game developing ones. Is the incentivization of business, profit, and expansion which takes away from the more novel and passionate values the organism of what the company was; originally had.

But not to get into the politics of capitalism; competition still exists thanks to it. The strive and desire to make unique and special products, does still flourish. But the stagnation of creativity can gestate from the safety of successful IP's. A business should do it's best to be profitable, yet certain best practices and polish can be unjustifiably sacrificed.

From ventures like of the acquiring "Lost Boys Interactive" who released a "Saint's Row" reboot that flopped in 2022. The company Gearbox Entertainment laid off 125 employees for Lost Boys Interactive. * Which sounds like they saw an opportunity for more workers from the vulnerability of Lost Boys Interactive, but more so for quantity not whether it was a good fit for them. Not something that Gearbox had contempt for I'm sure but still unfortunate, considering how they helped make Gearbox's most technically impressive Borderlands spin-off: "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands" (a very, VERY fun game).

Impact/Interpretation - Gearbox Software has been restructured as a developing and publishing team subsidiaries while having a parent company named Gearbox Entertainment. 

Then acquired by an European company, Embracer Group for approximately $1.3 billion. But egads! Take-Two Interactive has acquisitioned Gearbox Entertainment and is the current owner of the IP. * From what I can tell, when some company gets enough traction and buzz, bigger companies will either endorse or absorb it. Until I guess we get mega corporations that envelop whole countries (kind of like Embracer Group with a whopping 900 franchises!).

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