Randy Pitchford is no longer the president of Gearbox Software

By Jess Reyes October 7, 2021

Randy Pitchford isn’t Gearbox Software’s President anymore. In the company’s recent quarterly meeting, he announced that former Chief Technical Officer Steve Jones will take over as the new President. Jones now leads all production and development related to Gearbox Software.

Pitchford isn’t leaving Gearbox, though. In fact, he’s still CEO of the overarching company. In his announcement tweet, Pitchford explained that he’s still serving as President of Gearbox Studios, which handles film and television (like the Borderlands movie) related to Gearbox properties. Gearbox will still have access to his “experience and institutional knowledge” of the company’s brand and franchises.

His new role combines his business acumen and creative abilities in one. If you can even call it a new role, that is. In his own words, “If you are working with me on any creative level, nothing will change.”

The announcement tweet includes the internal staff email about Jones’ promotion along with a diagram of the leadership pyramid. Pitchford still sits at the top as the CEO and President of Gearbox Entertainment Company. Jones is listed as the President of Gearbox Software, which is a branch underneath the parent company. Steve Gibson, who was promoted to CEO of Gearbox Publishing in 2019, is at a similar level.

So nobody is really replacing Pitchford. He’s just not in charge of Gearbox Software anymore. That’s all Jones.

Jones has over 22 years of experience working for Gearbox Software on projects like Half-Life: Opposing Force, Halo for PC, and Brothers in Arms. He also served as a technical director for the first two Borderlands games. As President of Gearbox Software, he will oversee the production and development of Gearbox Software’s major titles. For example, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is likely on that list.

“The simplest thing I could say is that he’s better than me,” Pitchford said of his fellow CEO.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Jessica Reyes is a freelance writer who specializes in anime-centric and trending topics. Her work can be found in Looper…

Computing

Is this Razer’s Steam Deck killer?

The Razer Kishi Ultra sitting on a table.

Razer has been oddly quiet in the burgeoning world of handheld gaming PCs. When I met up with the company at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to learn about its new products, I was happy to hear it had an answer to the success of the Steam Deck.

But it was not the type of answer I was expecting.

Gaming

The best iPhone emulators

A collage of the delta emulator.

The market for iPhone games has become so wide and diverse that it can realistically compete with most console and PC offerings. Where we once only got cheap time-wasters, we now have complete experiences that don't feel any less impressive than what the competition offers. In fact, a lot of games made for consoles are appearing on the iPhone now that it is becoming so powerful. However, older games have paradoxically been mostly absent from the app store. That all could be about to change as emulation is now allowed on iPhone, though with some caveats that any retro fan should know about before getting too excited to play all your favorite NES games on your phone. Here's what's up with iPhone emulators, as well as our picks for a few of the best ones you can get right now.
What you need to know about emulation on iPhone
Emulators on iPhone, as well as emulation in general, are in a strange legal gray zone. Previously, the only way to get an emulator on your iPhone was through some workarounds that generally involved jailbreaking your phone, That differs from Android, which has enjoyed native emulators for years. In 2024, Apple updated its App Store guidelines to allow for emulators on its store, but with some important restrictions.

Here's the exact wording: "Apps may offer certain software that is not embedded in the binary, specifically HTML5 mini apps and mini games, streaming games, chatbots, and plug-ins. Additionally, retro game console emulator apps can offer to download games. You are responsible for all such software offered in your app, including ensuring that such software complies with these guidelines and all applicable laws. Software that does not comply with one or more guidelines will lead to the rejection of your app. You must also ensure that the software adheres to the additional rules that follow in 4.7.1 and 4.7.5. These additional rules are important to preserve the experience that App Store customers expect, and to help ensure user safety."

Gaming

Cities: Skylines 2 devs offer DLC refunds as console ports get delayed

A screenshot from Cities: Skylines 2's Beach Properties DLC.

Cities: Skylines 2 developer Colossal Order confirmed that it will be offering refunds to people who purchased the Beach Properties DLC, adding more content to the Ultimate Edition version of the game, delaying the launch of Cities: Skylines 2's console ports and its first expansion, and focusing on free updates and patches in the short term.

It did so while making a massive apology in the wake of the PC city-builder's messy launch and first DLC release. When Cities: Skylines 2 initially released last October, it was very unpolished and felt a bit inferior to the original Cities: Skylines. At the time, I wrote, "It’s OK to wait until the game is a little more stable and has as vibrant a community as its predecessor." Although Colossal Order has been patching the game, it reignited ire against the city-builder in March by releasing a $10 Beach Properties DLC, an underwhelming asset pack that didn't even add beaches to the game.