Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Announced

Earlier today, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel was announced by 2K Australia and Gearbox Software.  The co-developed game is slated for release in the Fall 2014 on current-gen systems (Xbox 360 and PS4) along with PC.

The game takes place between Borderlands 1 and Borderlands 2, featuring four new playable characters fighting alongside Handsome Jack.  Players will witness Jack’s transformation into the man you have come to know.

For the first time ever, players will assist with the rise of the Hyperion Corporation on the lunar moon base.

In addition, “the signature shoot ‘n’ loot gameplay of the Borderlands series expands with the addition of low-gravity and oxygen-powered jetpack combat, the icy ‘Cryo’ elemental damage type, the deadly laser weapon class, and new vehicles to help you explore the lunar landscape.”

The four new characters available in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel are:

– Athena, the Gladiator: Uses her Kinetic Aspis, which is a shield that can absorb incoming damage, then convert it back into energy to use against enemies. Athena made her debut in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC for the first Borderlands game.
– Wilhelm, the Enforcer: Wilhelm was previously seen in Borderlands 2 as one of the first deadly bosses in the game.
– Nisha, the Lawbringer: The sheriff of Lynchwood from Borderlands 2, Nisha will be dealing out her own brand of justice, which we’ll discuss further in the coming months.
– Claptrap, the Fragtrap: Wait – Claptrap? The goofy robot companion from Borderlands 2, now playable for the first time? Fragtrap is his character class? Well, you can play him too!

Eurogamer sat down with Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software, to discuss the reasoning behind the launch on current-gen systems only.

Pitchford’s responses are damning for next-gen systems.

“It’s not free to build a game for next-gen,” Pitchford told Eurogamer. “So when we decide where to spend our resources, we want to spend all of the attention we can on the game itself.”

Pitchford went on to say, “Currently there is – between PS3 and Xbox 360 – over 150m installed units worldwide – probably 170m is more realistic. There are fewer Xbox Ones and PS4s than we sold copies of Borderlands 2, but because Borderlands 2 did so well there’s obvious demand there, and we have not been able to serve it sufficiently with just DLCs.  And we’ve consumed all the memory there is to consume to add more content to Borderlands 2.”

When asked when he anticipates bringing a Borderlands to next-gen, he responded with, “We don’t know to what extent it’ll live on in the next gen. I imagine over time – maybe by the time we get to the third or fourth Christmas – there will be enough of an install base.”

Pitcford’s comments solidify the true reason next-gen doesn’t have more games – developers are not ready to take a leap forward as they have in the past.

With the video game market clearly changing, this is a clear example of a company too spooked to take the risk to bring a game to more systems than current-gen systems.

I might not like developers continuing to support current-gen but why not make a game for both current-gen and next-gen?

However, I honestly anticipate Gearbox to milk the current-gen systems for about a year before deciding to release a “remastered” version for next-gen systems to help appease both markets.

Check out the full press release for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel on the 2K site.

What are your thoughts on the game not launching on next-gen and is Pitchford’s decision the right decision for the company?  Let us know in the comments section below, we’d like to know!

(Source: The Escapist)