The timing of the release of Gearbox Software’s Battleborn was very poor, as it came during the same month that Blizzard’s Overwatch showed up and essentially took over the multiplayer shooter genre. While the developer has done just about everything they can to try and get people back to playing the game, that hasn’t changed the fact that the game’s player count is abysmally low.
However, despite the game’s very disappointing launch, publisher Take-Two sees some potential for growth going forward. The publisher recently had its Q1 earnings call, where CEO Strauss Zelnick said that “On May 3, 2K released Battleborn, a new intellectual property from Gearbox Software, the makers of our popular Borderlands Series. While the game launched to solid reviews, its performance in the market has been below our expectations.”
He goes on to say that “We think there remains an opportunity to grow the audience for this unique experience over time, and 2K will continue to drive engagement and recurrent consumer spending on the title through add-on content and virtual currency.”
Finally, he concludes by saying that the new IP’s lack of success has not shaken their will to innovate, saying “We fully support our team’s vision to push the envelope in order to set new benchmarks for our company and our industry with the understanding that in a highly creative enterprise, not everything always turns out the way one might like. Given the strength and diversity of our company, we have the ability to take these risks and weather any unexpected shortfalls that may arise.”
