"In the case of Duke Nukem Forever, there has been 15 years of expectations built up," Pitchford said. "There are a lot of people who were perfectly gratified by the game; they liked the surprises, the details of how the humor manifested itself or how the scenarios manifested themselves ... and there were other people, because of the development effort or because of the way it’s been upsold throughout the years, there is just no possible way to meet or exceed such expectations."
Pitchford says that of all the games they've shipped, Gearbox gets more positive fan mail from players of Duke Nukem Forever. He believes this, above all else, is the indicator that Gearbox hit the mark in terms of quality.
"The true definition of quality," he says, "is not about things like fidelity or features, or you know production values, or anything like that. The true definition of quality ... is to what extent does the thing meet or exceed expectations of the customer."
"We are so proud of that, you have no idea," Pitchford says. "It’s like, it is a miracle. The game exists and we get to see that content with what those guys have been working on for so long. And I love the game, I think it is hilarious frankly."
Pitchford says that of all the games they've shipped, Gearbox gets more positive fan mail from players of Duke Nukem Forever. He believes this, above all else, is the indicator that Gearbox hit the mark in terms of quality.
"The true definition of quality," he says, "is not about things like fidelity or features, or you know production values, or anything like that. The true definition of quality ... is to what extent does the thing meet or exceed expectations of the customer."
"We are so proud of that, you have no idea," Pitchford says. "It’s like, it is a miracle. The game exists and we get to see that content with what those guys have been working on for so long. And I love the game, I think it is hilarious frankly."
What's coming up for Gearbox? Well, Borderlands 2 is on the way along with Aliens: Colonial Marines but beyond that they are not ready to say just yet what's in store. Be sure to check out the full interview with Pitchford to see how Opposing Force came to be along with the brief history of the other titles that Gearbox has had such a huge role in bringing to market.