Will Battleborn Come Back?
After Gearbox Software and 2K Games shut down the servers for Battleborn, fans are asking if there is a possibility for the game to return or if there will ever be a sequel. Currently, there haven’t been any announcements.
However, we do know that Gearbox Software really wants to make another Battleborn game. This has been mentioned on social media but I also personally talked with several developers that confirmed this. While Borderlands might be the biggest game that has come out of the studio, Battleborn is actually the game a lot of developers enjoyed the most while making it.
Re-Publishing the Original Battleborn
Some fans are wondering if Gearbox could relaunch the original Battleborn. Because after the game shut down the contract with 2K Games supposedly ended. Well, that’s not entirely true. It would be awesome if Gearbox was able to boot up the servers again and fly solo on this one because then you and I would be able to play this awesome game again.
However, 2K Games has the publishing rights for Battleborn (1). So if the original game would see a re-release or a remaster of some kind, it would have to be with 2K Games. Personally, I would have loved to see a Nintendo Switch version. I think there is a great audience there, but this would have worked better back in the day when the other hero shooters weren’t present there.
Battleborn Sequel
Since Gearbox owns the IP they are free to develop a new game in this universe. But I think 2K Games will have 1st dibs to see the project before GBX can pitch it to other publishers (speculation). But since the merger with the Embracer Group, Gearbox doesn’t need to go to an external publisher for funds. Essentially they could self-publish a sequel unless there is some fine print in the contract we don’t know about (there is probably a lot we don’t know about).
What the next Battleborn game will look like is uncertain. The original game is a good foundation but definitely has room for improvement. The 1st Borderlands game also wasn’t perfect but if you see how Gearbox was able to level up that game. The Devs definitely have ideas on how they could build upon the original Battleborn and bring that to the next level.
Battleborn 2 could also take a different approach. There have been several in-house pitches that would lead to a sequel in different territories. One would scrap the story mode, while another would focus on a story mode. One pitch is an action RPG adaption which is kinda remarkable looking at the studio’s track record but the Battleborn universe is rich enough to allow it. Another idea is inspired by Warframe an MMO-ish mission-based game.
How to follow up?
Personally, I can see Gearbox going in multiple directions with the next installment of Battleborn. If they upgrade the current foundation there will be a lot to cover. All these different things didn’t help marketing when they promoted Battleborn. The mainstream didn’t pick up everything that was going on. Having fewer modes is also beneficial as you have to explain less and can paint a clearer picture. The launch of Apex was interesting should Battleborn also drop out of the blue?
Battleborn originally was pitched as a Free to Play PvP game. It wouldn’t surprise me if they went back to this model. Start small and slowly roll out more maps and characters. Scale the game with the player base. More players = more resources for the project. Although the competitive scene is a hard market to break through. Personally, I haven’t been impressed with the matchmaking capabilities of Gearbox Games. But hey, they have been acquiring new developers and innovating their service on a regular basis.
During a Nerdvana podcast, Randy Pitchford mentioned they should play to your strengths. Gearbox has a pretty good thing going with Borderlands. What if they embraced the story mode and made “Battleborn 2” kinda a Borderlands reskin? Of course, you don’t want to exactly clone it and have a million guns. Because it’s Battleborn, there are a lot of different characters and play styles. So there has to be a twist.
But be sure to let me know in the comments below what Battleborn 2 should be.
