14 DAY TRIAL // Gearbox Software, the developer of the upcoming Battleborn first-person shooter and the recent Borderlands series, believes that the villain in the new title, Rendain, is a bit different from the main antagonist of the Borderlands saga, Handsome Jack.
The Borderlands games have delivered some pretty stellar first-person shooter experiences over the years, but while the first game had a simplistic story, the following couple of titles took things to a whole new level, thanks in part to the main villain - Handsome Jack.
Battleborn's bad guy isn't a recycled Handsome Jack
After presenting the main antagonist of Battleborn, Rendain, Gearbox mentioned that he would interact with players in a similar way as Handsome Jack in the Borderlands series.
However, the studio explains to Gamespot that calling Rendain just a recycled version of Handsome Jack isn't true. The developer highlights that Jack was motivated in a large part by greed, as finding the vault and all of its riches was the main goal.
Rendain, on the other hand, is motivated to preserve the Jennerit empire, his native race and faction, but doesn't really enjoy being portrayed as a classic villain, just because of his general design.
"Rendain, at the core, isn’t selfish. For Rendain, preservation of the Jennerit empire is critical. He’ll do anything to make that happen. He willing uses his charisma, power, and threat to accomplish his means. But, he doesn’t cherish being sinister, certainly not to his own people. Rendain is practical and wouldn’t waste a good resource. It’s a constant pain to him to have to try and make his underlings not cower in abject terror," the studio says.
Gearbox mentions that, of course, it's following the success of Handsome Jack with Rendain, as villains are very important in a story, offering not just motivation for players to continue but also entertainment throughout the plot.
Borderlands players might recognize Rendain's voice actor, as he's brought to life by Chris Rager, the voice of Mr. Torgue. This time around, however, he's much less interested in explosions and over-the-top theatrics.