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Borderlands 2 a 'no-brainer' - Gearbox

Creative director Mike Neumann says role-playing shooter's reception has all but assured there will be a sequel; 2K touts upcoming DLC.

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Before Borderlands' October 20 release, some analysts were openly speculating the new IP wouldn't find its footing before being crushed at retail by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Now, though, the game industry's professional prognosticators are pegging the well-reviewed action role-playing game as a hit. Former skeptic Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pacther believes the game sold around 400,000 units in the US in October, with Pacific Crest Securities' Evan Wilson and Electronic Entertainment Design and Research's Jesse Divnich putting the figure at 375,000.

Some of Borderlands' more unstable characters took the
Some of Borderlands' more unstable characters took the "no-brainer" comment to a literal extreme.

Were any of the analysts' US figures to be replicated in Europe, Borderlands will likely end up with close to 1 million units in total lifetime sales. So it's little wonder, then, that developer Gearbox Software is already musing about a sequel.

"Everyone here [in the UK] loves the franchise, and it seems like the public is really coming back with praise and love," studio creative director Mikey Neumann commented to the British site VG247. "So yeah, if everything makes sense, Borderlands 2 seems like a no-brainer to me."

When asked to expand on Neumann's comments, Gearbox reps declined to comment. However, publisher 2K Games was quick to steer the focus toward expansion plans for the original Borderlands. "We're excited that people are enjoying Borderlands and want to spend even more time with the game, which is why we're releasing downloadable content at the end of this month," a rep said.

On November 24, the first of what Gearbox and 2K promise will be a series of Borderlands expansions will launch on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Titled The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, it will add a new region, Jakobs Cove, which is overrun by undead opponents and other supernatural variations of creatures from the original game. The add-on to the M for Mature rated original will sell for 800 Microsoft points or $9.99. 2K said details about a PC expansion will be announced soon.

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