Gearbox Software now has Borderlands 3 in its rearview mirror, but its plans for the future are bigger than ever. The game developer and publisher has now confirmed that it's expanding and will be adding another studio based in Montreal, Quebec, making Gearbox a three-studio company. The new Montreal studio is said to quickly grow to around 250 employees, bringing Gearbox's total to over 850. The studio will be led by the co-Studio Heads of Gearbox's Quebec City team, Pierre-Andre Dery and Sebastien Caisse.
While it isn't explicitly stated, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford describes that the new Montreal studio will be a place developers can go to work on either existing Gearbox franchises or "new, original ideas." Dery seconded this point, saying that the new development team will work on both the Borderlands franchise, as well as new IP. It's possible the team could support the development of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands as it gets started, but no specific projects were named.
The confirmation that Gearbox Montreal will be working on new IP is particularly exciting, especially considering the only new IP Gearbox has put out in the past 15 years besides Borderlands was 2016's Battleborn. That could explain why Gearbox's Quebec City studio heads decided to transfer to the Montreal studio. It could grant them the opportunity to lead development on Gearbox's next big thing.
As for why Gearbox is choosing to expand yet again in Quebec, co-director Caisse explains that the Gearbox's Quebec City expansion in 2015 was a "resounding success." He goes on to say that there's a lot of talent in Montreal and that the city will allow Gearbox to rapidly grow to the studio's needs. Gearbox also confirmed that the studio is being formed with the support of Montreal International and Investissement Quebec, government investment agencies for both the city and province.
The Montreal studio for Gearbox may not be the company's last expansion, either. Pitchford is quoted as saying that Gearbox is "ambitiously" looking for expansion opportunities both within the United States and internationally. Quebec City and Montreal may be just the first studios in what could become a network of Gearbox teams across the world.
It'll likely be some time before more information is shared about Gearbox's Montreal studio. Building a team takes a long time. Building a team of 250 takes a very long time. Plus, it sounds like Gearbox Montreal will be supporting the development of Borderlands as it grows. When Gearbox Montreal does come back into the news in however many years, it may have a new IP worth looking forward to.