14 DAY TRIAL // Instead of making Borderlands 3, Gearbox Software decided to create something entirely new, set in a brand new universe, in order to flex its creative muscle in a different direction.
Granted, the direction might not be that different, as Battleborn is, after all, another first-person shooter, but if the team managed to merge role-playing game elements into the fast-paced action cocktail of a shooter in Borderlands, this time around the team is looking to infuse its game with MOBA mechanics.
The multiplayer online battle arena genre has risen to great popularity, with millions of players worldwide enjoying Dota 2, League of Legends, Smite and the many other such titles each day, but Gearbox wants to bring something fresh to the experience.
The premise of Battleborn
In Battleborn, the last remnants of life in the universe find refuge on Solus, the last inhabitable planet, looking for shelter against an unknown menace that is destroying the galaxy.
The common enemy is unveiled amongst mounting infighting among the five factions that the extant species have formed, and the best of their warriors embark on a mission to annihilate the threat.
Randy Varnell, the game's creative director, described the Varelsi, the main antagonists of Battleborn, as a race of creatures that "anthropomorphize entropy," accelerating the end of the universe through artificial means.
The five factions
The Eldrid revere nature and seek to maintain the natural order of things, and are based on fantasy tropes, using the most advanced technology in order to fulfill their destiny as space elves.
The Jennerit Empire are savage conquerors who impose their will on the less fortunate, with some of them even discovering the secret of near immortality.
The Last Light Consortium is a band of profiteers that just want to make a quick buck and party as everything is falling apart around them.
The Peacekeepers are a warmongering faction of soldiers, eager to go to war to protect Solus, without giving a care whether it gets destroyed in the process.
The Rogue are a faction of misfits, mostly resembling a band of pirates, who would rather live or die free than follow someone else's rule.
The five factions will offer an ample selection of heroes for everyone to enjoy, each one with its own quirks and personality, that players will be able to pilot in various competitive and cooperative game modes.
Battleborn is set to be launched on the PC, the PlayStation 4 home entertainment system from Sony, and the Xbox One home console from Microsoft, sometime during 2015.
