Although Gearbox Software has been spending the majority of its resources and time working on a new sequel to the Borderlands franchise–Borderlands 3, to be precise–the game developer out of Frisco, Texas is reportedly working on a new franchise. Interestingly enough, this franchise apparently will be one that will "surprise and delight gamers of all ages."

Even though Borderlands 3 is in development, it seems that Gearbox Software is looking to begin a new "tent-pole" franchise under the supervision of John Vignocchi. With Vignocchi having worked for seven years at Disney Interactive and having been executive producer of the Disney Infinity franchise, it makes sense as to why the project he's working for Gearbox is a family-friendly franchise.

Although details of the new franchise are unclear, there are a few factors that hint at what kind of tone this it could utilize. For instance, Vignocchi's tweet above indicates that the new franchise will be lighthearted and playful, but we will likely have to wait a while before finding out just what it is. And despite this project being underway, with Gearbox's CEO Randy Pitchford having stated that 90 percent of the staff is working on Borderlands 3, the new franchise could be a number of years away.

In other news related to Gearbox, the company recently announced that Borderlands 2 is coming to PlayStation VR this December. Although it's a far cry from getting the official release date for Borderlands 3, most fans should agree that the excitement for the next installment is still palpable, especially since the last entry for the first-person shooter series to come out was Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, which released back in 2014. So, with any luck, Gearbox Software will not only reveal its new franchise for "gamers of all ages" in the near future, but also will confirm Borderlands 3's release date soon.

Source: John Vignocchi – Twitter