Gearbox Studio Québec's top brass just pulled the ripcord on corporate life, launching indie outfit Studio Ricochet in their hometown. Founders Sébastien Caisse and Pierre-André Déry, who co-led the Québec operation through multiple Borderlands titles, assembled a squad including ex-Borderlands creative director Maxime Babin, Gearbox creative dev director Yanick Piché, and vets from Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed. No more Take-Two overlords—just their own rules for premium originals on PC and console.

The debut project's a co-op action-adventure, still in early days, aimed at global players with 'bold creative vision and memorable worlds.' Déry spells it out: 'After years of building within large organizations, we wanted to create a studio that moves faster, stays focused, and takes creative risks.' Caisse adds they're starting lean to prove the goods before scaling. Déry teased it yesterday on X, calling it 'much closer to the heart.'

This isn't some fresh-faced startup—it's Borderlands grinders betting on indie agility after Gearbox's string of looter-shooters and spin-offs. Québec's AAA talent pool is deep, and Ricochet joins a wave of Canadian indies dodging publisher bloat. In an industry choking on live-service mandates, a focused co-op premium title could actually slap—or fade into vaporware. Their track record tilts the odds.

Expect the buzz to build as prototypes leak. For now, it's a clean break from the hype machine.