Borderlands franchise director leaves Gearbox

In a brief tweet (as tweets tend to be) Matthew Armstrong, who filled the role as game design director and writer on the first Borderlands, and who was also heavily involved in the development of Borderlands 2 and most recently Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel as franchise director, has confirmed that he is leaving Gearbox Software:

"Things changed. No longer working at @GearboxSoftware. I will always love Gearbox, but it's adventure time," Armstrong writes.

With 2K Australia, the main developer of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, recently being closed down there was immediate speculation that Armstrong's departure was tied in with the closure. To Gameinformer however, Armstrong has explained that this was a personal decision:

"Pre-Sequel, Claptastic Voyage, and Handsome collection all shipped. In a rare moment, I was temporarily non-vital," Armstrong explains. "I could leave without damaging Borderland or Gearbox too much if I did it at this moment, so now was the time. I think Gearbox will do great in the future, and I think Borderlands will stay strong and awesome. I've been thinking about it for a while. I'm not quitting out of anger or getting fired. It's just time for new adventures. I'm an inventor. I'm ready to make something new. Not just new to me, but new to everyone."

We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.