The Borderlands franchise has been around for quite some time now, debuting in 2009, and over the last almost 14 years, it's cemented itself as one of the greatest co-op shooter series ever made. With some absurd humor, zany characters like Zer0, compelling RPG systems, and fun gunplay, Borderlands has become a go-to for any gaming friend group, and last year Tiny Tina's Wonderlands joined the fray.
Spinning off from one of Borderlands' most beloved expansions, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands sees players assume the role of miniature heroes participating in a chaotic game of Bunkers and Badasses, a not-so-subtle take on the immensely popular tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons. Though Tiny Tina's Wonderlands certainly had its fair share of issues, it ended up being a pretty great spin-off, and it might have paved the way for an almost Call of Duty-like cycle for the Borderlands franchise.
The Borderlands Franchise Could Adopt a Call of Duty-Like Cycle
The Borderlands franchise has played a bit fast and loose with its release schedule so far. There were three years between the first Borderlands and Borderlands 2, just two years between that and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and a whopping five years between that and Borderlands 3. Between them all, there have been whole swathes of large-scale expansions to tide over fans, along with a few spin-offs like Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands, and now Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. It seems as though a Call of Duty-like pattern could start to emerge.
For well over a decade, the Call of Duty franchise has largely stuck to the same cycle, which began in 2007 with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. After the release of Modern Warfare, Infinity Ward needed more time to produce a sequel, but Activision was keen to capitalize on the monumental success of Modern Warfare, so Treyarch was tasked with producing an entry for the series. This resulted in the release of Call of Duty: World at War, which was indeed followed by Modern Warfare 2. This development cycle seemed to work for the developers, and they quickly fell into a pattern of alternating Call of Duty releases.
After Modern Warfare 2, Treyarch started its beloved Black Ops series, and with Modern Warfare finishing up, Infinity Ward got a little more experimental with its titles, trying something new with Call of Duty: Ghosts, and failing. After the failure of Ghosts, Sledgehammer Games got its first go at the franchise, delivering the divisive Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. After another divisive outing with Call of Duty: WW2, Sledgehammer got a third attempt to prove itself worthy of a third place in the cycle with 2021's Call of Duty: Vanguard, a fairly solid entry that didn't quite live up to expectations.
While the current Call of Duty development cycle is a little up in the air right now, with rumors circulating that suggest Activision may finally scrap the annual release schedule of the franchise, this cycle would actually work fairly well for the Borderlands series and its wider franchise. The cycle could see a full Borderlands game release, it receive its usual handful of DLC expansions, and maybe a year or so later, a Tiny Tina's Wonderlands sequel could launch. For even more variation, a new Tales from the Borderlands game could even come in between those bigger entries, acting similarly to Sledgehammer's Call of Duty releases. This would give the developers a clear schedule to stick to while also giving them plenty of room for creative expression and experimentation. This cycle would also ensure that fans don't get too sick of just one type of Borderlands game.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
