14 DAY TRIAL // Borderlands fans and addicts, rejoice, as Shanda Games, a Chinese operator of online games, has just announced the upcoming release of Borderlands Online.
Yep, you’ve heard that right, there will be a free-to-play Borderlands Online game, but unless you’re living in China, you won’t be able to play it.
First of all, Borderlands Online will be launched in 2015 in China and will be available on the PC and mobile devices. Shanda Games has confirmed that the title will be specifically designed for the Chinese market, so there’s a slim chance that it will go live in other regions unless it really becomes popular among PC gamers.
There aren’t too many details on the game, but from what Kotaku reports, it appears that Borderlands Online will be the result of the collaboration between Shanda Games, Gearbox, and 2K Games.
The Chinese company will manage the development and publishing of Borderlands Online, while the other two studios will probably play the roles of consultants.
However, the word is that 2K Games has decided to send a small development and support team to China, specifically for Borderlands Online, which means that the studio is very interested in the Chinese gaming market.
Even though Borderlands Online will allow players to pick one of the four classes introduced in the original game, they look slightly different. So, expect to be able to play as a soldier, hunter, siren or berserker, though the names of the classes will probably be different.
Several screenshots showing these classes have already been published by Shanda Games, but there’s no in-game footage or any pictures that could give us a glimpse of what the game will look like.
Closed beta is set to kick off in early 2015
The good news is that some of these screenshots come with short descriptions, which tell us that the Sniper class, or assassin, can summon mechanical companions and deliver overwhelming attacks based on tech.
The Mercenary is the all-round warrior who can use all types of firearms and explosive technology. His main powered will be the spawn of nano-turret that can assist him while fighting enemies. The turret has both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Another mysterious class revealed by Shanda Games is called Fire Charm (translated). This class appears to have commando type abilities and controls a Firebird as companion. Players who choose this class are supposed to be able to take control of enemy actions.
Veyron or Berserker is a powerful melee class that entirely relies on brute, physical force. He doesn’t have any stealth abilities.
It’s also worth mentioning that the game will enter closed beta in early 2015 and players who will be accepted in the program will be able to roam a specific region on Pandora called No-Man’s Land, which is a location in Thousand Cuts in Borderlands 2.
