From Forbes: "Plano, TX based game developer Gearbox has been in the game-making business for a long time. In fact, this past February marked the developer's 14th anniversary. But prior to the release of Borderlands in 2009, Gearbox flew largely under the radar.
Before Borderlands, the studio had developed a number of Brothers in Arms games, some Half-Life spin-offs, and a number of other titles, but it wasn't until Borderlands caught fire that the company really staked out its place as a major game developer doing important---some might say groundbreaking---work."
Microsoft should purchase Gearbox. They ported the first Halo game on PC and were being eyed out to take on the Halo franchise, so there is a relationship between MS and Gearbox.
What other than Borderlands has Gearbox done recently that was successful either critically, commercially, or both?