Gearbox Software has acquired the well-regarded strategy game franchise Homeworld. The acquisition is consistent with Gearbox's strategy of owning nearly every property it works on. The independent developer also owns the Borderlands, Duke Nukem and Brothers in Arms franchises. The pairing of Gearbox and Homeworld is an interesting one. The studio is best known for its expertise in action-heavy first-person shooters, not strategy games. There are no concrete announcements for new games in the series, but Gearbox said its first matter of business is to bring Homeworld and Homeworld 2 to "today's leading digital platforms." Homeworld was created by Company of Heroes studio Relic Entertainment. Publisher THQ owned the franchise, but had to sell it off in auction, following its bankruptcy late last year. Relic was sold to Sega, where it is working to complete Company of Heroes 2. Gearbox's acquisition was led by the studio's chief creative officer Brian Martel, a professed fan of the franchise. The acquisition comes shortly after a crowdfunded attempt to buy the franchise fell short. Gearbox also outbid Galactic Civilization developer Stardock and Crusader Kings developer Paradox Interactive. Other remaining THQ properties that were awaiting final bids include Darksiders, MX and Red Faction. Updated with information on additional bidders.