Take-Two Boss Calls Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2K’s “Best New Franchise” in Years

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands may not be a totally new experience to those who are familiar with the Borderlands games by now, but Take-Two Interactive considers it a new franchise, and according to the publisher, it’s a pretty successful one, too. During the company’s most recent earnings call, Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick called it the “best new franchise launch” from 2K in years and said it and all the relevant parties involved would be looking for ways to expand on the franchise in the future.

The new game from 2K and Gearbox was mentioned several times in the Q4 earnings call (transcribed by The Motley Fool), but Zelnick spoke directly about it during some opening remarks. He said the title “resonated with core fans and new audiences” and looked ahead to the future of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.

“On March 25, 2K and Gearbox Software released Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, an all-new fantasy-fueled offering that has taken our partnership with Gearbox to new creative heights and is viewed as the best new franchise launch from 2K in several years,” Zelnick said. “The title has resonated with core fans and new audiences alike with nearly 30% of players having never before played a Borderland’s title. To date, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has exceeded our expectations and is being supported with cross-play functionality, an array of post-launch content, and a season pass. I’d like to congratulate 2K and Gearbox on delivering another stellar game, and we look forward to the possibilities for this new franchise in the years to come.”

Again, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands may not be regarded as a “new franchise” by those who played it given how familiar much of it felt. It’s a spin-off from the Borderlands series, and on top of that, it’s an evolution of the Borderlands 2 DLC Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, so if you played that DLC and other Borderlands games, you had a good idea of what to expect. Still, Zelnick’s comments are reassuring for those who enjoyed the game given that Take-Two is definitely viewing this as a new, growable franchise now.

Lainie Goldstein, the CFO at Take-Two, added to Zelnick’s comments later in the conversation by saying the game “outperformed our expectations.” It’s currently still getting DLC with more to come from the season pass and perhaps more announcements to come after that depending on what the future of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands looks like.