14 DAY TRIAL // This week saw the announcement of not one but two different free-to-play experiences from major developers in two highly competitive genres.
First there was Battleborn from Gearbox Software, a first-person multiplayer online battle arena experience (MOBA), and secondly there was Bluestreak from Cliff Bleszinski's new Bosskey Productions studio, an arena-based shooter.
Both developers have major experience in the triple-A gaming space, with Gearbox delivering big franchises like Borderlands, Brothers in Arms, and much more. Meanwhile, Bleszinski led the creation process at Epic Games for titles like Gears of War or Unreal Tournament.
However, the games industry is constantly changing and evolving. Both Gearbox and Bleszinski could have stuck with the traditional triple-A experience and create new full-fledged games that would be sold for 60 USD/EUR across all platforms.
However, they're both taking risks and trying to subvert expectations by going into the free-to-play segment while targeting genres that are already really crowded.
There are a huge amount of MOBA experiences nowadays, with heavyweights like Dota 2 or League of Legends, not to mention upcoming ones like Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm.
Meanwhile, shooters are even more crowded, as all sorts of games battle for supremacy, from first-person ones like Team Fortress 2 to third-person ones, like Warframe.
Even so, I'm pretty confident in both Gearbox and Bleszinski's team, as they can both innovate and bring some changes to their respective genres.
Gearbox is pitching Battleborn as a first-person MOBA, so you can expect plenty of DNA from the Borderlands series to seep into the new title. So far the visuals look pretty good, but it's way too early to tell, especially since only a short CGI trailer has been revealed.
In my opinion, it might've been better for Gearbox to wait a bit more and share some actual gameplay that might impress people. What's more, the Battleborn name is a big generic and, considering its proximity to Bloodborne or Battlefield, expect some confusion.
Meanwhile, Bleszinski has confirmed that his project is even earlier in development and so far has revealed just a concept sketch.
Even so, the Gears of War designer wants to create his own team and deliver an old-school free-to-play first-person shooter that focuses on arena battles. Given his past at Epic Games, expect Bleszinski to inject DNA from franchises like Gears of War or Unreal Tournament in order to make sure his already established fan base can resonate with the project.
Already quite a few of my colleagues are starting to get sick of free-to-play MOBAs and shooters largely because the market is being flooded with many low-quality experiences.
However, with the likes of Battleborn or Bluestreak, not to mention other upcoming experiences, like Robot Entertainment's Orcs Must Die Unchained, it seems that there are at least some developers willing to innovate in the free-to-play market and try to deliver value to people that are no longer willing to pay 60 USD/EUR for a game.
What's more, considering this new push, you can bet that other big studios and publishers are going to try and get in on the new segment and its many genres in the near future.