Gearbox Software, developer of the massive Borderlands 2 and (maybe?) the recent bomb Aliens: Colonial Marines revealed today that they acquired THQ's Homeworld franchise during last week's IP auction.

"Brian Martel, Gearbox Software's Chief Creative Officer, has great love and respect for Relic's brilliant, fun and innovative game and personally spearheaded the acquisition," the studio said in a statement this morning.

The plan so far is "to preserve and assemble the purest form of the original acclaimed and beloved games," which begins with making both Homeworld and Homeworld 2 "accessible on today's leading digital platforms."

Aside from bringing the two classic titles to digital distribution platofms, Gearbox is open to fan suggestion when it comes to the future of the franchise. In a post on the studio's official site, Gearbox asked fans "to share with us and Brian what you think should be done with Homeworld moving forward."

What do you think of this acquisition and the news of the re-release of the first two classic titles? Does Gearbox seem like a good fit for the title, or would you rather another studio have made the acquisition? And moving forward from here, what would you like to see for the future of the franchise? At the moment, the mere fact that the Homeworld franchise has a future is a pretty exciting thought. Sound off with your opinions in the comments below.