2K China, and Borderlands Online, Closed Down by Take-Two

Borderlands, or as you know it as, ‘That series that won’t stop shoving Handsome Jack in our Face’, has got a pretty big profile all around the world, thanks to its unique world, memorable characters, and an occasionally fresh sense of humor. Take-Two, the publisher, has shown a vested interest in expanding the game beyond its current scope, producing sequels, prequels, and even spin-offs by way of Tales of the Borderlands--and a FPS MMORPG called Borderlands Online.

What? You haven’t heard of Borderlands Online? Well you would have if you lived in Asia, as it was one of those Korean/Chinese PC MMO’s that was being worked on by 2K China, a former branch of the Take-Two company.

And, if you’ve paid any attention to tense so far in this article, you’ve pretty much figured out what we’re talking about. Not a few months after the closing of 2K Australia, 2K recently announced they were going to close 2K China, the developer of the now-canceled Borderlands Online, to focus on alternative methods of expansion. From Gamesindustry.biz:
 

"We are excited about the opportunities to expand our business in Asia, and we remain committed to delivering triple-A offerings for that region. At this time, we can confirm that we are closing 2K China… We determined that the additional time required to finish current projects at the studio, particularly Borderlands Online, would not yield a favorable return on investment. We are working with affected staff to identify other opportunities within the company where possible.”

From our perspective, the biggest loss is there knowledge that some hard-working developers are now out of work and might need to go back job searching, because Borderlands Online would almost certainly have never made it over to the west. Still, for a company that’s doing so well on paper, weird they keep closing their international studios. What do you suppose is happening over there…?

I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Something is certainly amiss.