Several Senior Borderlands Developers Leave Gearbox

Several Borderlands developers who worked on Borderlands 3 have left Gearbox Software, according [...]

Several Borderlands developers who worked on Borderlands 3 have left Gearbox Software, according to a new report. A total of seven different developers were named among those who left the company with all of those developers said to be working on the same project that's currently in pre-production. Randy Pitchford, the founder of Gearbox, assured people that the developers' departures happened under amicable conditions and that things are still going smoothly over at Gearbox.

Axios first reported on the news of the developers leaving Gearbox. Senior producer Christopher Brock, lead mission designer Keith Schuler, art director Scott Kester, Borderlands 3 creative director Paul Sage, UX/Game Feel director Chris Strasz and lead character artist Kevin Penrod are the six developers who've now left the company. The first three developers listed had each been working at Gearbox for over 10 years at the time of their departure. Another unnamed developer also left Gearbox to bring the total to seven people who've now left.

According to sources close to the matter who spoke to Axios, each of the developers were all working on the same project together that's currently in the pre-production stage. While it's easy to imagine that departures like this – especially departures from people who've been at the company for so long – would be problematic for whatever projects were being worked on, Pitchford indicated that wasn't the case. He said the developers left "on the best of terms" and said that the group was working on an unannounced project that'll be worked on further with "minimal disruption" in Gearbox's plans.

"Before their transition, the group was part of a not-yet-announced pre-production team and their departure will cause minimal disruption in our current plans," Pitchford said.

Pitchford added that the developers are currently focused mostly on Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, the game announced last month that stars Tiny Tina herself and one which is currently on track, according to the Gearbox founder. Another source informed Axios that members of the studio were excited to have "fresh blood" leading the unannounced project the senior Borderlands developers are no longer working on.

A specific release date for the new Tiny Tina's Wonderlands game has not yet been announced, but it's scheduled to release at some point in early 2022.

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