Gearbox CEO wants Bungie & Infinity Ward to move beyond established brands
by Xav de Matos 
{ Jun 22nd 2009 at 6:15PM }
"I keep waiting to hear what Bungie is going to do that's not Halo," Pitchford told VideoGamer at E3. "Same with Infinity Ward. It's like, dude I'm totally psyched to get my Call of Duty fix every year, but you guys are amazing! What else have you got? Can you give me something I haven't seen before?"
Pitchford does admit it's difficult to walk away from established brands when the risk of creating a new IP is so high, but says innovators need to be rewarded so that teams "making big bets can take that risk."
Gearbox Software itself is no stranger to established brands. After porting Halo: Combat Evolved to PC in 2003, Gearbox developed the Brothers in Arms series, which has seen 10 titles released across 11 platforms since its debut in 2005. Gearbox is currently developing the new IP Borderlands, which is set to hit the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this fall.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ArchiGamer @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:19PM
Totally agree.
Now if either Nintendo or Square would do the same.
Jack_Jackington @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:23PM
Are you saying Square hasn't done anything new?
ArchiGamer @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:25PM
No, just they release something different more than often. Ex. would be The World Ends With You.
Jack_Jackington @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:29PM
Yeah I agree with you completely. Great great game
Cr4sh Dummy @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:41PM
I concur as well, but I still think his comments were a bit contrived.
Jrod @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:04PM
I can't agree with you more for Nintendo.
We've been seeing these characters since the 80's. Where are the new franchises Reggie mentioned at E3 of 2008? I want new characters to the Nintendo universe,not some Wii *insert name* garbage!
Enough milking the cow, new characters and IP's already!!!!!
R. Kasahara @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:40AM
The problem with both companies is that many of their fans are constantly clamoring for the next Zeldas, Final Fantasies, etc. and couldn't care less about your TWEWYs and such. I too love it when companies make new IP and wish they would do it more often, but the fact remains that they are less likely to sell than the old reliable franchises.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:21PM
Well Activision has Infinity Ward by the balls, so they can't....and Bungie doesn't have the balls, so they won't.
AvA (ice~) @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:22PM
Oh I have a feeling Bungie has the balls. They'll have a new IP soon enough.
ArchiGamer @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:23PM
But they have Halos.
...and that's all they have...
Shmil @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:35PM
They'll pop up with a new Myth game out of nowhere and blow everyone's minds.
arkweld @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:56PM
and Myth wouldn't be a new IP.
The Dark Wayne @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:13PM
no, but it's been so long since a Myth it might as well be. Personally i just wish Bungie would fucking push that Peter Jackson thing out the door already! I need that shit! Halo has a fantastic story, but strangely, the games are kinda light on it
ArchiGamer @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:17PM
Them releasing a new Myth game is like Nintendo releasing a new Star Fox game: sure its new only because its been in limbo but not technically new.
Maurice M @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:25PM
He's competing with both companies. It's a little hard to take what he's saying as genuine. It's the kind of thing he could be encouraging just to give his own IPs some breathing room. That's a bit tinfoil hat I guess. Still hard to really listen to.
FraGNeM @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:32PM
Honestly, that's the first thing I thought, too.
"Hey guys, mind throwing away your established brands to put our stuff on a level playing field?"
That said, he can also be seen as touting Gearbox's newest projects as being new IPs unlike the stuff found at Bungie or IW.
Either way, it's sort of a no-brainer comment to make, given the position Gearbox is in.
Michael Amory @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:33PM
Maybe I'm naive, but I think people in the game industry generally want to see each other do well. They must know that the more quality titles that come out, the bigger they can grow the industry and prove that video games can be just as important and smart as movies.
These guys are still considered the bastard childs of the entertainment industry in the media (Just look at the news stories that were completely wrong and inaccurate about "controversial" game play in Mass Effect and GTA4).
It's the underdog mentality I bet that makes these guys root for each other to do well.
BigFat @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:29PM
As a fan, i say give us what we want and stop playing around, do they know how many studios have ruined there name by trying something different. As a fan, i could care less about IW other projects, because all i want is my COD.
ArchiGamer @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:33PM
Ironically games such as those where created by a risk. That's why you take them.
JXCgunrunna @ Jun 22nd 2009 10:47PM
call of duty was not really a risk. the did a MoH game which was part of a franchise so all they had to do was make a game similar but better and market it as such and they had a winner. Even in 03 Activision was big enough to push their game. As for Bungie, all they had to do was let MS's money go to work. I personally would like to see a new IW IP come out in 2011 when it wont have to compete with Halo Reach
BlackDove @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:31PM
Ahahaha
Activision.
Original.
That'll happen.
Jrod @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:07PM
COD 23: Futuristic Mars Warfare *Total Recall Edition* ?
The Dark Wayne @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:11PM
idk about you but id fucking buy that
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:26PM
Wouldn0t that be Halo?
MarkHawk @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:37PM
It's a reasonable request. I'm not saying abandon your old titles but make new games along side them.
BigFat @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:39PM
But that takes resources away from games we love.
Churchy @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:40PM
Whats with all the industry shit talk recently? All the crap racing game devs are giving each other, now this?
LeonSKennedy @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:48PM
To use a baseball analogy, his comments are the equivalent of telling the New York Yankees to quit buying players, and develop your farm system. I'm guessing in the case of Infinity Ward, Bungie, and the Yankees, that's not happening anytime soon! LOL!
dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jun 22nd 2009 6:57PM
Funny, given that all Gearbox did for several years was churn out expansions, ports, and rehashes. And while Brothers in Arms was an original series, it was set in well-worn territory. Not exactly inspiring.
Borderlands may be the game that finally makes Gearbox a top-tier dev. I'm hoping like hell it'll be great.
The Dark Wayne @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:10PM
really it's extremely hypocritical of him to say that when Halo has 5 games, CoD has 6 (not counting stuff like BR1 or Finest Hour) and Brother in Arms has fucking 11! I'd give the guy more credence as well if he could make a game that A) is good and b)isnt vaporware
JXCgunrunna @ Jun 22nd 2009 10:50PM
If you look at it that way, IW has 4 by the end of this year, bungie has 5 by the end of next year. He was talking about the devs, not the series. He did not say "Treyarch, grey matter, and IW are awesome"
Joe @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:12PM
IDK Halo Reach and Halo ODST are good enough for me. I'm sure anything that Bungie makes is going to be top notch anyways, same for InfWard. But seriously Infward needs to move on. They are whoring CoD games way too much.
JXCgunrunna @ Jun 22nd 2009 10:52PM
Halo #4 and #5 are good enough for me but IW's CoD #4 is whoring the games now. Why did you buy W@W? and if u didn't then u havent been playing a new cod game for a year and a half. even if you did buy W@W, the multiplayer felt like a mod, not a new game
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:25PM
They should move to other games beause the day new developers with more founds enter and start creating more advanced FPS and beat both Infinity Ward and Bungie they will end like ID trying too hard to be cool again.
Off Topic:Treyarch is actully pretty good they just need to shut up,World at War is more challenging than Modern Warfare and it had more content.In B4 "They didn't created the engine".
fasty @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:50PM
Yes. Please making the shooters everyone plays so that someone will buy mine. K, thanks.
Toop @ Jun 22nd 2009 7:55PM
I think it is important to note that Gearbox also did Half-Life: Opposing Force which was totally awesome.
ChomskyKnows @ Jun 22nd 2009 9:08PM
This guy better get his ass to work on Borderlands and make damn sure it isn't as mediocre as Hell's Highway was...
They can make Halo and CoD as long as they want as far as I'm concerned...as long as the games are good. And they have been so far...
Heavytoka @ Jun 22nd 2009 9:37PM
Somebody tell that to the creators of Dynasty Warriors rofl
Obie @ Jun 22nd 2009 10:04PM
Originality! Exactly...like in the "Band of Brothers" game you make...I mean "Brothers in Arms"! :p
shadowbender @ Jun 22nd 2009 11:10PM
@Dark Wayne
Dude I totally agree with you! Where is the Peter Jackson/Halo project??!!
Raszeck @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:16AM
Well, yeah... ehr... Do this guy know almost ALL his studio is known by are their brothers in arms game and sequels ?
Johnny Neat @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:21AM
Sounds like he wants them to leave those franchises so him and his lot can get a job filling for them. No thanks. I'd rather a Dev make games they are good at them take a rick for no reason and fail. Plus after their brothers' in Arms BS hype, they can suck it. That game was not good overall.
Johnny Neat @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:24AM
Sounds like he wants them to leave those franchises so him and his lot can get a job filling for them. No thanks. I'd rather a Dev make games they are good at than take a risk for no reason and fail. Plus after their brothers' in Arms BS hype, they can suck it. That game was not good overall.
Joe @ Jun 23rd 2009 2:43PM
Sorry gunrunna but your point was completely missed by me. What are you trying to say? Can you clarify?
Ed @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:55PM
what a douchebag! If he had brands with the same selling power, you can bet that's all Gearbox would be making. F'n DOUCHE!