Matthew Armstrong, the creator and Franchise Director of all things Borderlands at Gearbox Software, has decided to leave the company. This news comes just a week after 2K confirmed the closure of 2K Australia, the development team behind Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.
Announcing his departure on Twitter, Armstrong said it was time for new adventures:
Things changed.
No longer working at @GearboxSoftware. I will always love Gearbox, but it's adventure time.
— Matthew Armstrong (@MisterArmstrong) April 17, 2015
Armstrong elaborated on his reasons for leaving to Game Informer. The developer said he was an inventor who was “ready to make something new.” There was no anger in Armstrong’s resignation, but with all of Gearbox’s Borderlands projects complete, he was able to leave “without damaging Borderland or Gearbox too much.”
Gearbox announced a desire to begin development on Borderlands 3 at the first-ever PAX South expo in January. At the time, CEO Randy Pitchford said the company wanted to “look outside Gearbox to find fresh ideas for the future of the franchise.”