Gearbox Entertainment, the developer of theBorderlandsseries, announced the opening of a new studio in Shanghai. This opening marksGearbox’s first expansion into Asia and underlines the company’s desire to better target the Chinese market.
Mainly known for itsBorderlandsseries, Gearbox Entertainment released two spin-off games this year.Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandsreceived mostly positive reviews, offering a tabletop RPG experience narrated byBorderlands’ Tiny Tina. The game reached the best-selling charts in several countries, exceeding the expectations of its publisher Take-Two Interactive. Gearbox announced thatTiny Tina’s Wonderlandswas now a franchise and would get more games. The most recent release of Gearbox Entertainment,New Tales from the Borderlands, didn’t meet the same success. The graphic adventure game received mixed reviews, but that doesn’t prevent Gearbox from exploringnew stories inspired by theBorderlandsuniverse.
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To open its first studio in Asia, Gearbox Entertainment absorbed Eidos Shanghai, the company that worked onaction-adventure gameMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,Shadow of the Tomb Raider, andDeus Ex: Mankind Dividedamong other games. The studio was renamed Gearbox Studio Shanghai and will help the company with “hyper-localized marketing efforts” in the Chinese market. Gearbox Studio Shanghai will also “provide immediate and meaningful support” to some of Gearbox’s games.
Prior to joining Gearbox, Eidos Shanghai was part of the Eidos-Montreal network of studios since 2008, working on various games published by Square Enix. In August 2022,Embracer Group acquired several former Square Enix studios, including Eidos-Montreal. Embracer Group is also the owner of Gearbox, which now makes its first steps into the Asian continent by turning Eidos Shanghai into Gearbox Studio Shanghai. The leadership of the studio remains the same, as the former head of Eidos Shanghai Gigi Ning is now the general manager of Gearbox Studio Shanghai. The studio will work on future Gearbox projects and report to Gearbox Publishing San Francisco.
With the opening of Gearbox Studio Shanghai, the company expressed its desire to expand its presence in the Chinese market. Gearbox can now rely on the experience of Eidos Shanghai to better engage with Chinese players and “work directly with local up-and-coming development studios.” Gearbox hasn’t yet announced the upcoming projects of its Shanghai studio. However, the company previously hinted atmore games inspired byTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsand stated that it was working on multiple AAA games. Besides helping with the development of future games, Gearbox Studio Shanghai will provide support for existing titles such asTiny Tina’s WonderlandandNew Tales from the Borderlandsfor the Chinese market.
