It's hard to argue that one of the most saturated genres right now are FPS'. The genre seems to be the "it" thing this generation and that's why more and more games are being released in it.
In saying that, Gearbox Software's Borderlands might be an FPS, but it avoided the usual shooter tropes that's littering the FPS market these days. For one thing, it's not a military-based shooter, and it didn't try to be realistic at all. On the contrary, the game's graphics were cel-shaded and the actual gameplay consisted more of slaying creatures and bosses for loot and to level up.
If you're wondering why there's not more games like Borderlands, you're not alone. In an interview with Gamasutra, Gearbox president Randy Pitchford unabashedly states, "I'm actually astonished that we're about to launch a sequel and no one's stole it from us. The formula's right there. No one's stolen it yet. That's weird. We're in an industry where people do nothing but steal from each other."
Of course, Pitchford doesn't want anyone to actually steal it and he's not challenging anyone to do so, but he admits, "When talking about Borderlands 1, it was really confusing, because on one hand we gotta scream from the highest mountain to get attention because it's a new IP. On the other hand, it's like, 'Shit, we don't want to tell people our secret because then they're all gonna copy it because it's so good.'"
You heard the man, gents, now go make your own FPS with RPG and loot mechanics! Okay, that wasn't his point, but expect studios and publishers to use Borderlands 2 as a template when and if it sells boatloads at launch.
Do you agree with Pitchford's assessment or is the game not remarkable enough to "steal" ideas from?
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