Swedish media holdings company Embracer Group is back in the news again. The talks center around the conglomerate parting ways with one of the studios under its already massive umbrella. According to a report from Reuters, several sources close with the matter state that Embracer Group, Europe's largest gaming company, is interested in selling Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment, in an effort to shore up funds. The odds of a potential buyer, however, are fairly low.

Embracer Group, who over recent years have amassed quite a portfolio of intellectual properties such as buying comics publisher Dark Horse, Crystal Dynamics (a new Tomb Raider game is reportedly in the works), Limited Run Games, and Middle Earth Enterprises, which includes the entertainment rights to Lord of the Rings aimed to be quite the multimedia giant. These purchases have not quite turned over into revenue as of this writing. Talks of consolidation seemed to surface, and that came to fruition with the recent shutting down of Saints Row developer Volition. It had also been reported that a $2 billion dollar deal fell through the cracks with a Saudi Arabian investment group back in June that involved the Lord of the Rings game development teams. Embracer Group's sweeping purchases haven't quite panned out as smoothly as they had planned, and may serve as a cautionary tale about the practice of mass acquisitions.  

Gearbox, the developers/publishers of Bulletstorm, Aliens: Colonial Marines, and Half-Life, also have a Borderlands film that is reportedly done filming, and also a television show about the series in the works. Their latest game, New Tales From The Borderlands, has seen middling reviews and opinions from fans and critics. 

SOURCE: Reuters