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.

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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.

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

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