Gearbox, the minds behind Borderlands, have announced a MOBA called Battleborn that aims to conquer the genre. Already, the familiar mix of humor, clever game design, and substantial firepower characteristic of Borderlands is apparent.
That’s quite a surprise, dropping like a bomb. There was no mention of Battleborn at E3. They have saved the big reveal for the August cover of Gamesinformer magazine. On the magazine’s website, they plan to reveal a little more about the game every day.
What is clear is that Battleborn will be a mix of MOBA, first-person shooter, and the loot elements of RPGs. Just as Borderlands changed players’ perceptions of what a shooter can be, they now aim to alter perceptions of what a MOBA should look like.
The background is new. Battleborn takes place in a completely original world. A whole series of “extraordinary” characters, who share only a fondness for firearms and bloodbaths, fight over the last star in a fading galaxy. Players will unlock the heroes gradually. They are meant to resemble “archetypes” that seem to have sprung from other games: a tough space marine or a nimble elf huntress.
The game is being developed for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
From MOBAs, they want to draw the rapid gameplay style, fast leveling, and minion crushing, while from shooters, they seek the arena-like game feel. There should be more than just one game mode available. Gameinformer has already visited the developers, tried it out, and particularly enjoyed the “Incursion” mode, a 5 versus 5 game reminiscent of League of Legends or Dota 2. There is also expected to be a co-op campaign for 5 players.
The maximum level of the heroes will be 20. On the way to the max level, they want to provide players with various options to customize their heroes to their playstyle.
They especially praise the quirky humor of the creators, known from Borderlands, who can find darkly humorous aspects even in a post-apocalypse.
A first taste of the style of Battleborn can be seen in the short announcement trailer:
