Gearbox Software Announces Battleborn

The folks at Gearbox Software, developer of the hilariously awesome Borderlands series, are busting into the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) space. And – true to form – they’re twisting the genre around.

Battleborn is a brand-new property, announced today by 2K Games and Gearbox. Described as a “hero-shooter,” it is a mixture of first-person arena gameplay, and the fast-paced minion-destroying mechanics that the MOBA genre is known for.

“As a genre-fused, hobby-grade, cooperative and competitive FPS exploding with eye-popping style and an imaginative universe, Battleborn is the most ambitious video game that Gearbox has ever created,” said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software.

Much like how “Borderlands” combined the FPS genre with role-playing game mechanics, Battleborn is injecting multiple gameplay styles into one larger package. One of the noteworthy challenges to the form is the single-player campaign, unique in a genre mostly known for its multiplayer model.

The game’s plot centers around a battle for the last remaining star in the galaxy; as such, warriors from multiple worlds meet up on the battlefield to duke it out. The eclectic cast of characters feels like it’s borrowed from every genre of video games, mixing science fiction with fantasy elements. There’s a space marine, an elven archer, a robotic steampunk gentlemen, a sword-wielding samurai… you get the idea.

It all combines together to make Battleborn a wholly unique experience. And, of course you can expect Gearbox’s signature humor to be prevalent when Battleborn hits Xbox One and Windows PC.