Borderlands 2 developer Gearbox Software turned down an offer to developer an entry in the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise, according to a recent report.
In a recent interview with German website KGN via Digital Spy, Studio head Randy Pitchford said that creating a game in the series wasn't a big enough challenge for his team because Gearbox would have to play by the rules of the series.
"I think about the people delivering the Call of Duty, which they want, you have to play by the rules of the series," Pitchford told KGN. "You have to do what is expected of a Call of Duty. In this I see no real challenge for us. It would [not] strengthen our reputation as a studio, it would not be really motivating for our team."
Pitchford said that Gearbox only work on someone else's intellectual property if they can provide a new experience or something unique.
"For me, there are two scenarios in which a project makes sense for Gearbox," Pitchford said. "First, if there would have been the game without us ever or two, when we can contribute to an existing brand something new, a kind of unique perspective and a new approach."
Activision has used a two-team approach to the Call of Duty franchise with the Modern Warfare series developed by Infinity Ward and the Black Ops series developed by Treyarch.
The latest entry in the franchise, Black Ops II was developed by Treyarch and released on November for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Wii U.
The game grossed over $500 million in its first 24 hours, beating Modern Warfare 3's launch to become the biggest entertainment moneymaker of all time. Black Ops II was also the number one selling video game in the US for 2012.
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