Reports are still coming in about the #developers behind #BorderlandsThePreSequel closing its doors for good. A Canberra-based studio, 2K Australia, is no longer operating, and apparently the last major game development studio in Australia.
According to Kotaku Australia, the company ended up folding under after high-level members of the studio left. Sources close to the situation, at one point, thought a move to Melbourne was planned in an attempt to help attract new talent to the studio. This allegedly caused many high-level members of the team to leave and that may have factored into 2K’s decision to shut down the studio. While operating costs in Australia were speculated as a factor in the decision for 2K to close down the studio.
2K Games sent Kotaku Australia a press statement revealing the closure.
We can confirm we have taken steps to begin the studio closure process for 2K Australia in order to better manage ongoing development costs while improving the working proximity of our creative teams. We are very grateful for the team’s valuable contributions to numerous 2K projects, and are working with affected staff to explore reassignment opportunities where possible.
2K Australia worked on a long list of titles from Irrational and other 2K studios, such as the Borderlands title in collaboration with Gearbox Software, operating since the early days as Irrational Canberra. Helping Irrational Games with BioShock, BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite, working on The Bureau: XCOM Declassified before taking on Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
The sales for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel have been relative but this will probably push the publisher shelve the franchise, at least for a short while. Meanwhile 2K is working in collaboration with a Chinese development studio on Borderlands Online, while highly unlikely that it could escape the Chinese gaming territory.