Battleborn Is Gearbox Software’s Venture Into The MOBA Space

Gearbox Software, the creative minds behind the Borderlands franchise, has finally lifted the lid on its long-rumoured new IP, Battleborn. Launching across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, the game has been billed as the studio’s venture into the MOBA space.

According to Game Informer, Battleborn will look to draw upon the bombastic (and hilarious) legacy found in Borderlands and expand it out into the far reaches of space.

“Battleborn takes the minion smashing and fast leveling often associated with MOBAs and injects it into an intergalactic first-person battle arena. The game’s dramatic story assembles a universe’s worth of disparate heroes, from an immortal samurai to a minigun-wielding giant, all battling over the last star in the cosmos.”

In fusing shooter mechanics with the familiar loot-hoarding elements of an RPG, the game will boast a wide variety of skill sets for players to explore. Moreover, Gearbox also teased a “huge” cast of characters and rivalling factions, both of which are yet to be fully revealed.

For gameplay, the studio has referenced the pillars of the genre within which Battleborn will enter — i.e. League of Legends and DOTA 2 — for creative inspiration. For instance, the essence of the game will centre around 5 vs. 5 encounters with various NPC minions populating the battlefield on either side, which will also seep into the MOBA’s core campaign.

And although Gearbox has naturally retained a lot of the finer details for a later date, the basic premise of the title is very intriguing indeed. For one, it’ll be interesting to see how the developing team mould a narrative around this most competitive framework and whether or not the game will incorporate microtransactions in the final build.

Nevertheless, given that the studio is now developing Battleborn, working alongside 2K Australia for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel whilst also overseeing the creation of Telltale’s episodic series, Tales From The Borderlands, it appears that Borderlands 3 has unquestionably been placed on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

Still, given the scope of this recently-revealed IP, perhaps it’s time for the studio to flex its originality. After all, Randy Pitchford, Gearbox’s studio president has described Battleborn as “the most ambitious video game Gearbox has ever created.”

Battleborn has been confirmed for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.