While many were disappointed that Bioshock 2 was delayed to February of next year, it has undoubtedly benefitted Gearbox's new IP, Borderlands.  Now 2K's sole game for the 2009 holiday season, the game has enjoyed a bigger marketing push than it would have received otherwise.  The result?  The game is doing extremely well at retail, according to GameStop.

2K reported large scale shortages nationwide two weeks ago when the game was first dropped.  Buzz for the the game also spread via word of mouth.  GameStop's Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising, Tony Bartel, recently spoke on the game, describing the game as an under the radar hit.

"A game that has shown strong legs and will continue to grow is Borderlands from 2K," Bartel said. "That's been a very strong title."

This is all great news for Gearbox Software and 2K, as industry analysts originally expected Borderlands to get lost in a sea of big budget sequels.  October's NPD sales data will hit next Thursday, we'll see how the game fared then.