Gearbox Software has announced that former chief technology officer Steve Jones will now serve as the new president of Gearbox Software following a leadership shuffle. Gearbox Entertainment co-founder Randy Pitchford will still serve as CEO and President of the Gearbox parent company and shift his focus towards film and TV as the president of the newly-formed Gearbox Studios.
Was that confusing? Well, buckle up. Basically, the video game development wing of Gearbox responsible for games like Borderlands will now be run by Jones. Meanwhile, Gearbox’s parent company, Gearbox Entertainment (which was acquired by the Embracer Group earlier this year) will still be overseen by Pitchford.
Furthermore, Pitchford will serve as president of a new division called Gearbox Studios which will oversee the company’s film and TV projects starting with the upcoming Borderlands live-action movie.
In a tweet, Pitchford further explained that he will be responsible for “high level creative and business strategy” while also serving as a “hybrid” Chief Creative Officer where necessary. Meaning Pitchford will still offer guidance on various creative projects at Gearbox.
Jones, meanwhile, will lead all production and development activities at Gearbox’s game studio and oversee the multiple AAA games currently in development.
Gearbox was founded in 1999 and over the years the studio has worked on projects like Half-Life, Brothers in Arms, Duke Nukem, Aliens, and Borderlands under Pitchford. An official Borderlands movie starring Cate Blanchett was announced in 2020, expanding the company’s footprint to film.
Gearbox Studios is currently developing Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a Borderlands spinoff set in a twisted fantasy tabletop RPG.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.