Following the buyout of Perfect World’s North American branch by Embracer and its Gearbox subsidiary last year, Gearbox has announced that Perfect World Entertainment itself is getting a new name: Gearbox Publishing. The news won’t come as a huge shock as Embracer and Gearbox had previously expressed specific interest in PWE’s publishing division as offering something unique for the company and “strengthen Gearbox Entertainment’s Publishing division.” Of course, Gearbox had also said at the time that PWE would “remain independent within Gearbox Entertainment.”
“Early in 2022, we were presented with a great opportunity to expand our horizons and extend our reach in the video game world. Our goal has always been to publish high-quality games that create lasting impressions, and Embracer Group has stepped up to help achieve this vision. Within Embracer, we’ve been placed in the loving care of the Gearbox Publishing wing of games, and we couldn’t be happier to join their family. Rest assured, we’re the same dedicated team of gamers working on the same titles we had before. Despite the name change, our organization, employees, products, and passion remain – just with a new makeover. We’ll continue releasing content for our service titles like Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Have a Nice Death as we always have. Our previous releases, including games like Remnant: From the Ashes and the Torchlight trilogy, will remain under our umbrella, with more amazing new games to come!”
The official website reassures gamers that that the changes are chiefly cosmetic; you’ll be seeing new email handles and logos on newsletter and support emails, but the staff hasn’t actually changed.
Cryptic Studios, we note, is also owned by Embracer and slotted under, but it’s kept its name. In fact, Cryptic is specifically listed as the studio of record for Neverwinter, which earlier today announced its next module.
