In the world of endless prequels and sequels, where it seems that new IPs are becoming ever-scarcer, it seems at least one games publisher is well-aware of the risks in starting something a new series from scratch.
In the inaugural epiosode of Polygon’s new SoundCloud based interview show Newsworthy (summarized over at Gamespot), Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford discussed at length the upcoming release of Battleborn, describing it as a “big bet” and adding, “We’ve invested more than Borderlands 1 and 2 added together into Battleborn, and we don’t even know if people will be interested or not.”
Given the rumors that Borderlands 2 was in part fueled by resources originally earmarked for Aliens: Colonial Marines, leading to the latter game’s eventual disaster and a strained developer relationship between Sega and Gearbox Software, there must be some beaucoup bucks being poured into Battleborn. Pitchford goes on to say that about 80% of the 300-person team at their studio headquarters in Texas is working on the game, and that they felt validated and motivated by the creative direction of Battleborn after seeing similar themes emerge from games like Cliff Bleszinski’s LawBreakers and Blizzard’s Overwatch: “First, there’s some competition, which is a fun challenge. But also, wow, those guys are really smart, too and they think there’s something here. Maybe we’re not crazy after all; maybe there’s a customer for this game.”
That being said, are you interested in Battleborn? Will their investment see a return or will Battleborn be doomed to Evolve-like levels of disappointment? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to catch up on all the latest Battleborn related news by visiting the Gameranx site tag.
Originally expected on February 9, 2016, after an announced delay last fall, Battleborn is now set to launch on May 3, 2016 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
