Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Was A "Major Victory" For Gearbox, "Future Experiences" Already In The Works

The Borderlands spin-off Tiny Tina's Wonderlands was a "major victory" that exceeded sales and critical expectations, according to Gearbox's Randy Pitchford.

Speaking during studio owner Embracer's annual general meeting today, as reported by VGC, Pitchford said, "Gearbox Software achieved a major victory" with Wonderlands, which is becoming a "new franchise" for the studio. Future "experiences" for the Wonderlands brand are now in the works.

"Wonderlands shattered all of our target expectations, both critically and commercially, and I'm thrilled to report that in addition to great financial rewards from this victory that will be coming our way in the coming quarters, we have established a firm beachhead," he said. "We now clearly have a new franchise on our hands, with future experiences already under development at Gearbox."

Unlike the mainline Borderlands series, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a high fantasy game, the likes of which Gearbox has been trying to make since it pitched Lord of the Rings games many years ago. It stars Tiny Tina, voiced by Ashly Burch, with a supporting cast that includes Will Arnett, Andy Samberg, and Wanda Sykes.

Here at GameSpot, our Tiny Tina's Wonderlands review scored the fantasy game a 7/10. Reviewer Darryn Bonthuys said it doesn't reinvent the Borderlands wheel but is a competent first-person shooter, albeit one that is "fun but forgettable."

Gearbox was acquired by Embracer in 2021 for more than $1 billion. As part of the buyout, Gearbox is getting the money, or "rocket fuel," as the company said, to "fuel Gearbox's powerful creative engine." Despite the buyout, 2K Games continues to publish the Borderlands series, including Wonderlands.