Borderlands studio, Gearbox, had chance to work on Call of Duty

Well here's a fun fact you might not have known, Activision had once approached Gearbox with the opportunity to develop Call of Duty. And guess what? They turned the job down.

Speaking to German Website KGN, the Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford explained the situation and why they chose to pass up on the project.

“I couldn’t see what there was to aim for,” Pitchford recounted. "There would be two scenarios in which a project makes sense for Gearbox. Firstly, if the game wouldn’t come into being without us. Secondly, if we can genuinely contribute something new to an existing brand, offer a unique perspective or a new approach."

As we all know, Call of Duty is one of the most popular video game franchises (if not the most). Each year a new installment of the franchise is released and while there are some subtle changes year-in and year-out, Pitchford pointed out that Call of Duty has a set of rules which developers must adhere to.

"The people who deliver Call of Duty have to make the game that fans want and adhere to the rules of the series, to do what is expected of Call of Duty. I don’t really see a challenge there for us. It wouldn’t enhance our reputation as a studio and it wouldn’t really motivate our team," he explained.

Pitchford was sure not to offend Activision or any of the studios that work on the Call of Duty franchise. “This is a very individual opinion and not meant to sound condescending," he assured. Gearbox is probably best known for its Borderlands series, although they have also worked on Duke Nukem Forever and Brothers in Arms. They are currently developing Aliens: Colonial Marines.