2K: Expect fewer triple-A titles this year
But publisher's president believes that Borderlands could be a "big surprise"
2K president Christoph Hartmann believes that this Christmas season could see fewer key games released than last year's.
"I think this holiday season is a little bit lighter in triple-A games than last year. It's actually a good holiday to put something out," Hartmann told GameSpot after the publisher announced Borderlands' 23rd October release date.
Hartmann further explained that the decision to push Mafia II, Red Dead Redemption and BioShock 2 into 2010 was taken in order to ensure they're all released in the best possible condition.
"I think it has nothing to do with the release window," he said of the delays. "It's that the quality bar goes higher and higher. Ultimately, to be commercially successful, you need a triple-A product. And everyone knows pushing a product out the door just isn't going to get you there, so they're going to do the right thing."
He added that he felt Borderlands could be "one of the big surprises of the year," before talking about the company's strategy in recent times.
"Three or four years ago, we had a little seed. We put it out in the field and wanted to grow an apple tree," he said. "We had two nice apples there with The Darkness and BioShock. Then there was the apple called Civilization, which was a little bit of an import.
"But now the tree's going to blossom. It's going to have more and more fruits, and I think you'll see that. Borderlands is going to be one of those perfect apples on there."