Randy Pitchford, the head of Gearbox, shared an interesting memory about the time he was brainstorming an idea centered around Half-Life when he unexpectedly received a call from Gabe Newell, the co-founder of Valve. After parting ways with 3D Realms, Pitchford joined up with former colleagues at Rebel Boat Rocker. He recalled, “It was very difficult. We were taking every risk building a new game, creating a new engine, building a new IP, and building a company all at the same time,” during his conversation in the Shacknews documentary, 24 ‘Til Launch: The Making of Borderlands 4. Unfortunately, if the studio doesn’t ring a bell, it’s likely because their inaugural project was scrapped by EA, prompting many staff members to exit, some of whom later became part of the development team for Borderlands 4. Pitchford mentioned, “I called up some of the folks that I’d respected the most that I’d been working with and asked them if they wanted to kind of come along and let’s get this thing going.”
Aiming to avoid a repeat of the challenges faced at his previous studio, which struggled to create its own intellectual property and engine, Pitchford was keen on ensuring Gearbox wouldn’t suffer a similar fate. He reflected, “Half-Life had just launched, and so I had this idea,” indicating a vision for a parallel narrative that intertwined with the events of Half-Life, particularly from the perspective of a soldier in Black Mesa, an angle that many fans were eager to explore.
Challenges and Innovations in the Gaming World
Pitchford noted, “I don’t believe in manifestation – I believe in coincidence – literally that afternoon, with no action on my part, Gabe Newell calls me because he had heard that we had left Rebel Boat Rocker and that I was starting a new thing, and he wanted to see if we would be interested in working on Half-Life.” Without hesitation, he boarded a flight and presented the concept that would ultimately develop into Half-Life: Opposing Force. At that time, Valve didn’t hold the rights to Half-Life, as the publisher Sierra was in control of the franchise.
He recounted the response he received: “They said, ‘Sorry, we don’t actually own Half-Life. You gotta drive down the street to Sierra On-Line and talk to the publisher. We’re going to call them and tell them you’re coming, and tell them we think what you’ve got is cool, but you gotta sell them, they’re the ones that are going to have to pay for anything and agree to do it.'” This series of events led to Opposing Force launching just over nine months after the establishment of Gearbox, marking a significant milestone in their journey.
The Future of Gaming
As a forward-thinking figure in the industry, Pitchford expressed that the gaming sector is “just getting started”: “We haven’t even had our Citizen Kane yet, let alone Jurassic Park or Star Wars. We’re just figuring this s**t out.” This perspective reflects both a sense of optimism and an acknowledgment of the evolving landscape of video games.