The shooter Battleborn is set to be released next year for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Now, 12 of the heroes are introduced, and the plans are explained on how MOBA and RPG elements will enhance the FPS genre. They are likely dismissing a Free2Play model like League of Legends.
In an interview with The Verge, one of the minds behind Battleborn talks about the plans for the unusual game: CEO and President of Gearbox, Randy Pitchford.
For him, Battleborn follows a similar path as the flagship of his company, the Borderlands series. With Battleborn, they also aim to combine a shooter with RPG elements while ensuring that the RPG systems are nicely digestible.
Instead of 50 Hours of Character Development – 30 Minutes
Whereas in Borderlands it takes 50 or more hours to equip a character with skills and gradually develop him, this happens in Battleborn within half an hour over the duration of a match. Pitchford mentions that Warcraft 3 and later MOBAs convinced him that this is possible.
However, they see the development of a shooter as their strength at Gearbox. It turned out well that the MOBA concept is not bound to the “top-down” perspective, but also works in First-Person. And this First-Person perspective is still Pitchford’s favorite way to play a game as a player.
Battleborn Will Probably Not Be a Free2Play Title, Follows Traditional Sales Model
A shooter with MOBA elements would then also be more accessible than typical First-Person Shooters, Pitchford explains, because where a newcomer in FPS combat sees no chance against other players, he at least has a few NPCs he can take down in a MOBA shooter.
Another advantage that Pitchford mentions is the ability in a MOBA to customize heroes to one’s own needs. They also want to achieve this with Battleborn; the personal hero should be modifiable. However, they do not want to follow games like League of Legends or DOTA 2. They do not want to make money by selling hats but rather focus on a traditional sales model.
Battleborn starts with 25 unique characters that differ significantly from each other. Thus, they also provide players with more variety in skills than the very limited skill set that FPS players are otherwise familiar with, the CEO of Gearbox further explains.
12 of the 25 Heroes of Battleborn in Brief
12 of the unusual heroes are presented in this trailer. These include Thorn, Oscar Mike, Phoebe, Orendi, Caldarius, Marquis, Rath, Montana, Miko, Boldur, Benedict, and ISIC. From the mushroom person with a penchant for knife and head throwing to the stylish killer robot, there is really everything.
Battleborn is set to be released on February 9 for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. To our article about the beta registration, click here.
