The spin-off “shattered” target expectations
The fantasy-themedBorderlandsspin-off gameTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsmight have seemed like an experimental one-off, but it’s been successful enough that Gearbox considers it a new franchise, with “future experiences already under development.”
Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford spoke aboutWonderlandsat Embracer Group’s annual general meeting, as transcribed byVideo Games Chronicle.
Summing upTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsas a “major victory,” Pitchford added that the fantasy-tabletop-inspired game “shattered all of our target expectations, both critically and commercially,” and 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.”
“We now clearly have a new franchise on our hands, with future experiences already under development at Gearbox,” Pitchford said.
It’s worth noting that Gearbox made a move toacquire Lost Boys Interactive, the co-development studio onTiny Tina’s Wonderlands, back in April.
As someone who was initially put off bythe ideabut ended up likingWonderlandsmore than expected, I can easily see them doing a (hopefully even more confident) sequel.
That said, even among players who dug this D&D-inspired, overworld-traversing, build-your-own-class shakeup, the season pass really left a bad taste that’s still lingering — the DLC wasn’t substantial enough compared toBorderlandsproper, not by a longshot.
I only played through the mainWonderlandscampaign once, and never messed with the endgame activities, but that’s normal for me when it comes to theBorderlandsseries; others, who play these games specificallyforthe endgame grind, didn’t fare as well.
To sum it up, I think it was worth playing, but any new “experiences” under theWonderlandsumbrella can’t coast on the success of this first game, which had a major curiosity factor going for it. Expectations will be higher next time around.
