Gearbox dismisses Borderlands 2 talk
"If we haven't announced it, it doesn't exist."
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has poured water on speculation that a Borderlands 2 reveal is imminent.
Earlier today, a resumé belonging to freelance artist and animator James Mosingois popped up online listing "user interface concepts for Borderlands 2".
However, Pitchford has since told Eurogamer that the CV is just a red herring and no such title currently exists.
"I honestly have no idea who James Mosingois is," he insisted.
"If I had to guess... I know last year - around September or October of last year when we were wrapping up the Clap Trap's New Robot Revolution DLC - we hired some contractors to help us blue sky brainstorm some things that were HUD related (among other things) when we were starting to think about what to do next with the Borderlands franchise.
"It's possible this guy was a subcontractor for one of those groups we were working with. None of that stuff really ended up going anywhere, though.
"I don't mean that as something to suggest the guy isn't any good - I don't even know of him or what he may or may not have done for us. The guy could be the best guy ever for all I know, but I'm just saying we didn't really do anything with what most of that effort produced and we were really just sort of in blue sky mode trying to imagine that aspect of what we were going to do next with the franchise."
Pitchford explained that that sort of process is standard practice at the studio.
"Before anything, whether it's a project, DLC or any creative activity, we tend to wildly brainstorm possibilities and most of the things that we think about and consider and discuss and sketch end up being left behind as ideas form and congeal and materialise into something that clicks and is really worth betting on.
Although it seems an announcement isn't likely any time soon, Pitchford did add that Gearbox had every intention of revisiting the franchise at some point in the future.
"I can tell you that myself and everyone at Gearbox LOVES Borderlands and we have been absolutely thrilled at the reception it's gotten from our customers and the fact that it's sold over four million units now.
"So you can see that we supported the game like mad with lots of great DLC and you can imagine that we're going to want to do a lot of things with Borderlands in the future.
"But we've only announced what we've announced. If we haven't announced it, it doesn't exist.
"Plans and efforts towards the future always exist with a forward looking studio like Gearbox, of course," he continued, "but brainstorming and blue sky research and development should never be allowed to be construed into a customer promise.
"A customer promise should not be made until that promise becomes sufficiently clear and ready and the commitment is there to deliver upon the promise."
The original Borderlands launched on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 back in 2009, claiming an 8/10 from Eurogamer scribe Jim Rossignol.
Gearbox is currently finishing up long-awaited FPS sequel Duke Nukem Forever, which is finally due to hit the shelves on 10th June.