14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Gearbox working on Borderlands 2 denied that it had any plans to create a version of the action game for the newly launched PlayStation Vita handheld, despite suggestions from an e-mail linked to the leader of the company.
Talking to VG247, a representative from the development team said that the authenticity of the e-mail, which came from Randy Pitchford, the leader of Gearbox, could not be confirmed and that a Vita port has not been considered at any point during the development process.
The e-mail message read, “I love the Vita as do a lot of folks at the studio and we have explored this. We’ll need some partner’s help and partner’s commitments to make this happen.”
The idea of porting Borderlands 2 seems to have gained some following among the fan base for Borderlands, but given how advanced the development process for the game is, there’s probably simply no time to actually move it to another platform.
Borderlands 2 uses a cell-shaded, cartoon-like style that could look impressive on the PlayStation Vita and the new handheld certainly has the computing power to support the gameplay mechanics, as long as the number of enemies appearing on screen at the same time is somewhat limited.
So far Sony has managed to put together an impressive launch line-up for the PlayStation Vita, but the company also needs to get backing from third-party developers and publishers in order to make the handheld a success in the long term.
The Vita has failed to perform up to expectations in Japan, but Sony says that the sales performance will be better in the United States and in Europe, based on pre-order numbers and initial sales.
Borderlands 2, for the PC, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, will be launched on September 18.