On April 8, the Remnant 2 X page shared a post stating its publisher, Gearbox Publishing, has changed its name to Arc Games. Many users were confused by the sudden announcement, but given recent events, it was only a matter of time.
While the post doesn’t explain the reason for the name change, it reassures fans that the publisher still consists of the same team of passionate gamers. The post mentions a few upcoming games that will be published under the new brand, and teases the iii-initiative showcase happening on April 10.
The name change happened because several weeks ago, Embracer sold one of its assets.
On March 28, Embracer issued a press release announcing it’s letting go of the Gearbox Software development division and selling it off to Take-Two Interactive. Despite parting with the development branch, Embracer still owns Gearbox Publishing, and opted to rename it to Arc Games.
Franchises like Borderlands, Homeworld, Risk of Rain, and Brothers in Arms are now under the Take-Two and Gearbox banner, while games like Remnant, Neverwinter Online, Star Trek Online, and Hyper Light Breaker now have the new Arc Games logo.
Last year, Embracer announced it has 220 game projects in development, but given the group’s recent behavior, there is considerable skepticism. The remake of Saints Row was met with mixed or average reception, and Embracer shut down the development studio shortly after the game’s launch. There have also been many layoffs and project cancellations within the group’s acquired assets, which didn’t leave a good impression on the gaming community.
It remains to be seen if this rebranding will have any effect on the games still under the ex-Gearbox Publishing belt. While it did give up several franchises, Embracer still has rights to many popular titles that are played daily by players worldwide. We hope that other than the name, nothing else changes for the worse.
