A Sad Death - The Tragedy of Battleborn

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The release of Borderlands in 2009 marked the first step towards Gearbox Software cementing itself as a master of developing hybrid experiences, games capable of artfully blending together otherwise disparate genres. For the cel-shaded, vault-hunting romp, such a blend consisted primarily of first-person shooter mechanics and elements consistent with role-playing games. Borderlands went on to enjoy success beyond Gearbox and its publishing partner’s wildest imaginations. It made sense, then, that the studio similarly combined genres when trying to break ground in the hero shooter space with a brand-new IP, Battleborn.
A fast-paced shooter comprised of a story campaign and competitive multiplayer modes, Battleborn checked several boxes to become equal parts MOBA, first-person shooter, and action-RPG. But in striving to cover a wide gamut of experiences in one, the hero-based FPS title lacked focus. Its immediate competition, Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch, suffered from no such lack of discipline, an argument Gearbox President Randy Pitchford readily acknowledged when dissecting why Blizzard’s endeavor overshadowed that of his team.
Pitchford would argue that Battleborn earned the label of failure only because of misguided Overwatch comparisons. To the studio executive, Gearbox’s ambitious new property could have held its own just fine, yet unfavorable circumstances-namely its launch three weeks before Overwatch-robbed it of any real chance of doing as much. Regardless, steep discounts, a dismal player retention rate, and reports of a last-ditch effort to explore free-to-play options followed Battleborn like a plague within months of its debut. Any attempts at driving engagement were met with disinterest, resulting in an unfortunate but predictably quick demise.
This is the tragedy of Battleborn.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
2:15 Sponsorship
3:36 Battleborn's Origins
7:27 Battleborn's Development
11:40 What Went Wrong?
16:39 Battleborn's Downfall
21:20 Credits
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[@GVMERS]

Play War Thunder for FREE on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS®5. Use our link playwt.link/gvmers to download the game and get your exclusive bonus: multiple Premium Vehicles, Premium Account, Boosters and more! See you on the battlefield!

[@waynejulian277]

i am hyped af for wayfinder

[@haaxxx9]

HOLY SHIT! GRAN TURISMO 6 CAN BE PLAYED ONLINE ONCE AGAIN FOR THE PS3! Awesome!

[@drain1718]

poor timinh

[@Hugsloth]

I think it's worth noting that although Borderlands is seen as their 'good years' or the 'creative peak' of Gearbox... Even in that instance, the entire artstyle of Borderlands was changed mid development, after Randy saw a short film called CodeHunters. He approached the indie director about helping on the game, but cut off contact and just lifted the guy's entire aesthetic before slapping it over their upcoming game. Prior to stealing the aesthetic of CH, Borderlands looked like a generic brown wasteland shooter.

[@EinherjarV]

@@Hugsloth OMG someone else knows about that! Was gonna comment on that until I saw yours.

[@PXAbstraction]

Randy Pitchford is one of the best examples of failing upwards in this industry. While Gearbox has had a few solid titles, the amount of scummery, lies and mistreatment of the employees who made them successful from this scumbag are immense. And for all that, he got a massive payday from Embracer.

[@lucavalente6620]

Not to defend the dude but lies, scummery and mistreatment of employees is not so rare in the business.

[@operationsquirtle]

@@lucavalente6620doesnt make it right

[@PXAbstraction]

@@lucavalente6620 It's not, but Randy's offences are well documented and largely public. Hell, he still defends things like Aliens: Colonial Marines.

[@lucavalente6620]

@@PXAbstraction "understandable" the months after the launch...but after some years he could at least say that it didn't come out as "planned"

[@googleslocik]

They made their name on theft, they stole the art design for Borderlands from Codehunters made directed Ben Hibon after promises of work deal only to never pay or credit them, and then stealing money from Alien Isolations to finish it. Randy was always a piece of shit, when he was outed as a pedophile by his own lawyer everybody knew this guy is one of the worst people you can meet or work for.

[@BucklingSwashes]

Randy Pitchford is the tragedy of Gearbox.

[@acedias12]

99% of Gearbox's problems always links all the way back to Randy Pitchford.

[@haaxxx9]

You spelled his last name wrong. It's now called Bitchford because a friend told me that was his official name and I 100% believed him without a second thought.

[@Hugsloth]

I'm pretty sure Randy is 'inner circle' with some very important people. Between his sketchy burlesque venue (Peacock Theater), the USB incident, and all the wild details alleged in the lawsuit by his former right hand dude... Let's just say it seems clear Gearbox is never going to shutter no matter how much money it loses.

[@Vert_GreenHeart]

I would've felt bad for Gearbox if Randy Bitchford wasn't directing it.

[@acedias12]

I frankly feel bad for Gearbox being directed by Randy Pitchford.

[@EdK-Music]

I just feel bad

[@Bozzoocumps]

@@acedias12the elon of gaming

[@PassiveAssassin]

Bad

[@light819]

@@Bozzoocumps nah, some people are actually somehow convinced that elon is some kind of super nice guy Everyone knows randy is an ass

[@midnightanimal4598]

People are being very hard on Randy Pitchford in the comments, but he is an excellent magician. He made all that "Aliens: Colonial Marines" money disappear!

[@UberNoodle]

An even better magic trick was when he pulled Aliens Colonial Marines out of his ass.

[@w415800]

I think "Aliens: Colonial Marines" is a Godsend to the industry, a couple more of these hot garbage and people might finally stop pre-ordering.

[@Zodroo_Tint]

@@w415800 You know you are wrong do you? I understand your wishfull thinking but people will never stop preordering. Gamers are spineless weaklings who are activelly participating in destroying computer games. The publishers destroying games for money, the developers destroying games for making a living, the gamers destroying games for temporary inferior entertainment. They will never stop preordering.

[@guilherme5094]

@@w415800 Never underestimate the stupidity of 'gamers'.

[@Barbaroossa]

@@UberNoodle He needed to make room for all of that SEGA money.

[@TheIMMORTALKAHNHD]

Theres like a small brief period of gaming history where Randy Pitchford wasn't a villian...and he desperately wants us to forget that.

[@LAHFaust]

That Pitchford isnt in prison for embezzlement after the Duke Nukem Forever and Aliens Colonial Marines fiascos is proof that pitchford is a magician

[@paddycakes6244]

That and the assaults.

[@borderlandsglitches]

It's a shame it didn't get an offline mode. I liked this game and only ever played it solo.

[@N.Bluesky]

Maybe they can still re-release it ? At least 2600 think so anyway. And I got that number from the online petition, called "Battle Re-born", which tries to show Gearbox that people are still interested in Battleborn.

[@bigchungus3]

I actually really enjoyed Battleborn, more so even than Overwatch, but it was hard to find a match.

[@sebastianrodriguez8992]

​@@N.Blueskythank you for bringing my attention to this petition I just signed I really hope it gets the attention it deserved and at least a fighting chance

[@vnshngpnt]

@@N.Bluesky There wasn't even 2600 online in Steam before closing. Unfortunately, while game is cool in theory, for various reasons it was not played at all. From finansical perspective closing it was correct decision unfortunately.

[@TaRAAASHBAGS]

Games as a service is fraud

[@Blaze416X]

Randy Pitchford's greatest nemesis is..... Randy Pitchford. Also, he really should've stayed a wannabe magician, not a CEO.

[@dragonmares59110]

I really wish they would have made battleborn able to be played offline. Because the campaign+leveling system and coop was nice

[@goodguymario]

+1

[@mo_musashi_284]

stupid mentality of online only is ridiculous because once it dies players can’t go back.

[@SL4PSH0CK]

PVE multi is great, marketing is devastating competing with Blizzard with large following. Edit: they should reboot or relaunch Battleborn now seeing Overwatch 2 current state

[@N.Bluesky]

There is an online petition, called "Battle Re-born", which tries to show Gearbox that people are still interested in the license. It has already collected more than 2600 signatures, including some members of the development team. Hopefully, and the debacle of the PvE of a certain game, there is hope...

[@paradoxxor7770]

I cancelled my pre-order because there was no offline mode 💀 They even had a cool statue to go with the game, I was sad that day ☹️

[@DrNooo]

I miss playing this game. Wish they could make it Playable offline :/ I wanna play as montana again.

[@N.Bluesky]

Maybe one day it will be possible again... The game may not be playable anymore, but nothing prevents Gearbox from re-releasing it. But for that, players must show interest in this license and one of the ways to do that would be to sign the online petition "Battle Re-born", a petition created to show that they have not forgotten this license ... nor some member of the development team who also came to sign it.

[@Ak-fx1ml]

Me too man I loved this game

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@Labyethan]

Benedict was my man, and thanks to him, I met some of my closest gaming friends from me firing his ultimate into the ground.

[@asaltylapis4316]

Hi, OG Battleborn player here, i just want to start off first by saying i absolutely loved this game, I would play it for days nonstop, and i stuck with it for quite a while until most of its playerbase dropped, and even had contact with people trying to make a pro scene for the game, if this game was still playable today id certainly be playing it again, but the game definitely had issues. A great thing about the game was characters felt alive and powerful, not through their lore or story relevance, but through their abilities and animations and style. Gameplay was very fun and flowed well, healers tanks and dps classes all felt great to play, but having gear aquisition tied to the story mode was a slog of a grind and I feel turned lots of players and potential new players away from the idea of the game. If you wanted good gear you would need to play through different story missions, this grind seemed endless and was one of the reasons I quit. Honestly this game could have done perfectly fine without a story, if the game was distributed as free-to-play with store skins and a battle pass I think it would have generated enough revenue to stay alive. Remove gear being tied to grindy story missions and have preset equipable gear made available before you load into a match and a lot more people would have had accessibility to the multiplayer. This game had so much promise, and was one of, if not the most memorable multiplayer experiences I will ever have, and its a shame that we will probably never see a Battleborn 2 in the future.

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

To me without the story I wouldn't play it. I hated the gear grind, but I am bad at FPS games but enjoyed the characters. The single player was a huge selling point to me.

[@razgriz821]

Any loss for Randy Pitchford is a win for everyone else.

[@Echo2-2]

Correct

[@Cockdonut]

if there's Randy Pitchford, why isn't there a Randy Catchford??

[@josuealcivar9807]

Maybe, but not true for the studio, the PC port of Halo Combat Evolved was made by his team and it's way better than the port to Xbox One in MCC. So, at least that success was good for everyone. 😅

[@josuealcivar9807]

​@@Cockdonut😂

[@kagekun7689]

This is funny you say that because now overwatch's taking that same loss currently. And nothing is going right for OverWatch

[@TheRebelDottie]

Battleborn was one of my all time favorite games. I can’t believe people continue to bring it back up to remind me no one else liked it.

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@nad613]

I remember really enjoying what this game had to offer, and it really was quite different in practice than Overwatch, even though at first glance they looked similar. I think what really hurt was Pitchford himself directly comparing the two games in a competitive sense on Twitter. If the head of the studio is referring to the two as competitors instead of highlighting the differences, then of course everyone is going to think they're the same genre. Probably the only MOBA I actually enjoyed.

[@artofchang]

This and Paragon were the only two MOBAs I really got in to.

[@sebastianrodriguez8992]

​@@artofchangGigantic was another amazing game that sadly died too soon

[@MythicFox]

Don't quote me on this, but supposedly Blizzard hadn't even really paid any serious attention to Battleborn until Randy started talking 'Battleborn vs Overwatch' on Twitter.

[@Echo2-2]

I never really had an interest in hero shooters so this is all just fascinating as to how this all happened

[@YellowTissueBox]

You know there aren't many channels where every single video is an absolute joy.

[@Zodroo_Tint]

There are. You just don't know them.

[@user-73a]

@Zodroo_Tint same goes to you apparently

[@YellowTissueBox]

@@Zodroo_Tint Was just a compliment to GVMERS. Nobody is attacking you friend.

[@wyattgeorge9696]

@@Zodroo_Tint Not really honestly

[@karenpojar2514]

Best banter in a hero shooter ever! "Know this: you will remember corporate ad jingles long after you forget your parents' faces." "I will not rest until every shirt on this planet IS TUCKED THE FUCK IN!"

[@reffa2858]

I miss playing as Phoebe. Teleporting behind players and activating her ultimate. Or turning into a puddle of darkness with Galalea.

[@artofchang]

I remember playing the hell out of this game. Tried to get my friends to play it but they were heavy in to Overwatch. Game had a ton going for it. Sadly Overwatch overshadowed it.

[@travis51killer01]

Same here, but mostly the campaign.

[@christiangarcia2727]

Same. Me and my friend were part of the 10 last online players waiting forever for a game to find

[@muysli.y1855]

Battleborn had the better Gameplay but back then Overwatch looks cleaner and less overload even Borderlands Design look better bit Darker so i choose Overwatch over this but sadly Overwatch didn't age well

[@duel2803]

i really want this game back

[@triadwarfare]

I tried getting my colleagues to Overwatch but they were not interested either. They think it's a sissy game and prefer COD and the Tom Clancy games.

[@monumentvalley6681]

Battleborn launched with PvE, a slightly larger roster, skill trees, and so much more. Overwatch didn't. As someone whose never played Battleborn, I still can't help but feel distraught over the game's demise, especially with how mediocre Overwatch's launch was, and how much worse the game has gotten since OW2 went live.

[@ThiccDaddyDave]

Everytime I think of Randy pitchford I think of the fact that he left a flash drive at a medieval times containing sensitive information for borderlands 3 (Pre release) and magician porn

[@jakey14344]

Or a total greasy bastard. Now his Borderlands movie is on production hell because of strikes.

[@MySplatterhouse]

One thing ive noticed with these multiplayer centric online games is that the character art designs are always well done. I wish there was a 3rd person action game with hero shooter sensibilities/multiple characters with great art ditection and a killer singleplayer campaign.

[@jorgearias3919]

Fr. Such great designs that you can't even enjoy while playing the game.

[@SammEater]

Seriously, this is the problem I had with Overwatch too, all those cool skins and you can't even see it yourself because of the first person angle. lol

[@alexandredesouza3692]

It's a huge shame that Battleborn died and I do wish there was an offline mode to play the campaign. There were a lot of fun playstyles in this game you can't find anywhere else.

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@alexandredesouza3692]

@@pacivalmuller9333 YAY 😁

[@purplevoles8368]

I remember seeing a lot of bashing on Battleborn not long after it died. Watching the development process and the goals they had in mind for the world and the gameplay makes its failure a real shame

[@harombee]

Battleborn gave me one thing that will never be replaceable okay two things. A CAMPAIGN at launch that was actually GOOD comparable to any of the events overwatch has ever had. And Galilea, what a character. Shout out to Shawna mills who co directed the opening cinematic, thanks for letting us pal around with you during that

[@karenpojar2514]

#3: Tobi!

[@travis51killer01]

Oscar mike❤

[@Parker--]

That’s fair. I will add that Battleborn > Overwatch 2.

[@duel2803]

@@Parker--battleborn was ahead of it’s time

[@reffa2858]

Her and Phoebe were my mains.

[@swallowedinthesea11]

Battleborn had one of the best intros! First day buy, I still remember it like it was yesterday! I loved both Battleborn and Overwatch which bring me riotous nostalgia!

[@d_dayne_e]

Battleborn and overwatch were entirely different games, they just happen to come out at the same time and people called it an Overwatch clone. The only similarity was it was hero based. Game really had potential and died for no reason

[@leedotson6323]

It probably didn't help that from an aesthetic stand point they look really similar so it would be easy for someone who wasn't played them to assume they're similar.

[@oriam2343]

Gearbox should not have compared itself directly to overwatch AND should not have tiptoed around what type of game they were trying to be (an fps moba) instead of just throwing out key words like hobby grade and meta

[@AZRockslide42]

I bought both Battleborn and Overwatch, and I can honestly say I preferred Battleborn. The PVE was just so much fun, though I will be the first to admit the PVP was lacking. As I prefer PVE Coop, that was fine. I really liked the Hero Shooter with MOBA elements, and I loved the way you gained experience and evolved the characters even though you had to start over from Level 1 each time. It really was the superior game with an amazing set of heroes, and I wish I could still play it.

[@N.Bluesky]

Maybe one day it will be possible again... The game may not be playable anymore, but nothing prevents Gearbox from re-releasing the game. Especially with the latest events around a certain game that had promised everything Battleborn had already... But for that, players must show interest in this license and one of the ways to do that would be to sign the online petition "Battle Re-born", a petition created to show that they have not forgotten this license ... nor some member of the development team who also came to sign it.

[@sarc9807]

Battleborn was really something . Loved every bit of it and stayed til the end ❤

[@magnusm4]

Sad this game fell as hard as it did. It had some really unique and awesome designs. The witch Orendi has one of the coolest designs and many things I love. Edged pointy big hat, four arms and eyes on her palms to cast spells. Mushroom Miko at least being the third living organism in the world. There's animals, plants and fungus. People seem to forget mushrooms are a species of their own. And the butler Marquis with a cane as a sniper. It's this kind of stuff I wish more games had.

[@bloodangel7731]

Also Klesse in this floating battle chair. I wabted to main him so bad but then the game got shut down. Overwatch could never pull off such hero designs

[@aceofhearts573]

Never forget Alien Colonial Marines. My brother pre ordered it and he got him. I have never paid for a gearbox game ever since.

[@alie_rose]

Good news everyone! You're able to play Battleborn via the PC with some limitations. The news comes from the official Battleborn discord server. More info in there and how it's possible :D

[@borkiagore]

i miss this game so bad, give us back Battleborn

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@borkiagore]

@@pacivalmuller9333 OMG!!! thnx

[@mychaldudleyii2039]

Miss the hell out of Battleborn. The only hero shooter that just clicked for me.

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@Phillz91]

Battleborn is my favourite game that died. The criticisms on focus were valid and it could have used more variety in the skill trees etc but overall I found it more enjoyable than Overwatch, even at the time. It's primary mode, the Moba style one, offered a bit more strategy and team work then the more simplified OW objectives and the characters were more varied with some great personality.

[@bob23301]

Pitchford and Cliff B should get together and merge Battle born and Law breakers into one games, but do not launch it, just state it went gold, then they have cancelled it, that way they can cut the middleman out and save a lot of time. lol

[@marbl3d45]

At least Cliff B is an actually cool guy

[@jakey14344]

Randy would have stolen Cliffy B's money and spend it on hookers at Medieval Times and Borderlands 4. That's how he was greasy.

[@RusticRonnie]

@@marbl3d45now, he was a dick like 20 years ago which is why people hate him. But his was also a rich 20 year old kid basically. Now he is just a dad, doing dad type shit

[@verguco6051]

@@marbl3d45 it is? wasnt he a douche or something and nobody like him anymore since he left xbox?

[@drivanradosivic1357]

Actually, Battleborn relaunch and Lawbreakers relaunching by Gearbox Publishing would be great.

[@MumeiMugei]

This was a fun enough game to play with friends. I was sad when it went offline, but with no new content/DLC we had stopped playing anyway. Live service games are such a scam. You buy a game and one day someone just decides you can no longer play it.

[@RDJ134]

Top notch content, always enjoying watching GVMERS video's

[@WizWiteKnight]

This game was brilliant. I remember it was announced it was shutting down right after it was announced that Overwatch 2 was going to have PvE. I remember feeling so bitter that Battleborn offered what Overwatch 2 needed a sequel to give, and with how that turned out, im just super bitter Randy Pitchford doesn't know how to SHUT THE FUCK UP :(

[@legoakleigh]

100%. I WISH people knew how Battleborn gave what people wanted from overwatch.

[@AltairEgoX]

YES! All those O/W Shills are eating their words now! lol soooo much schadenfreude as of late lol

[@cousinit1686]

If they went hard on the PVE side, they could have been a contender. This game was hella fun. Gigantic was another moba-esque shooter that was super fun too. RIP to dead games :(

[@SL4PSH0CK]

This game was a great example.for publishers and game developer of how important a marketing team is. I remember watching the game trailers and news about it just to get overwatch ads back 2016

[@The_Gent]

Sp glad you guys are still making these videos. Please dont stop

[@penguinfem7256]

I miss this game so much. Me and my buddy's went pro in this game sadly as it was dying. RIP B.B, remember what we had lads

[@kazmiller96]

Do you remember that these characters show up in Ready Player One? The game was basically dead before the movie even released.

[@UnabridgedGamer]

I was there till the end. I remember running one of the DLC missions one last time, just days from the closure. I still miss it.

[@lexisdone]

I will continue to mourn this game. I truly enjoyed it

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@brolishish5370]

I genuinely miss this game, it’s still one of my all time favorites and this game’s style and gameplay blow Overwatch out of the water

[@chocoloutre]

Take me 2 months to have courage to watch it... and as i expected, i'm heartbroken :( It's sad how things turned for Battleborn, however, i will never give up hope that one day, it came back. Thanks for this video, eve if it sad :/

[@aberezhnoy]

Managed to play the game for smth like 150 hours (including the beta) before the servers became deserted, enjoyed every single moment of it. Was stiil there when the player count was around 600 players... To this day, I would prefer Battleborn to Overwatch. Rest in peace, these were good times.

[@constable117]

Battleborn was so much fun, it’s the only game I’ve ever really gotten to play versus the devs. I really hope they relaunch it at some point. Oscar Mike gamers rise up.

[@N.Bluesky]

There is an online petition, called "Battle Re-born", which tries to show Gearbox that people are still interested in the license. It has already collected more than 2600 signatures, including some from members of the development team. It's not much, but it's at least something...

[@javierortiz82]

They have to pull something very special off, but considering how Overwatch 2 is in decline, just making a game instead of a glorified services store, would be a brilliant move on their side.

[@alexandredesouza3692]

Huge respect to the fellow Battleborn enjoyer. However, Oscar Mike mains did not lose much. You can still play Oscar Mike in dozens of other games.

[@MythicFox]

I still like to think about Jim Foronda (OM's VA) streaming himself playing the game in-character as Oscar Mike.

[@SL4PSH0CK]

You know what, its now an opportunity for Battleborn w/ how Overwatch 2 fails to deliver its PVE mode.

[@thrasher4034]

I just want Brothers in arms to make a return. Or a remaster/remake of the original 2

[@PegLegManlet]

I’d love to see the E3 version of Hells Highway as well.

[@thrasher4034]

@@PegLegManlet totally agree on that. I remember seeing and wishing it was in the final game

[@cronadojo8385]

It’s so sad these online only games can be just nuked. I played this from launch to end and the small community I was a part of was absolutely gutted. If you have a disc you should absolutely be able to play a game no matter what

[@torvasdh]

I loved this game. I wish they just kept the servers online so I could play it :(

[@WhiteWorgenCorp]

Putting Randy Pitchford aside.... I really miss BB, I was hoping for years that it would come back somehow be it sequel or remaster. But alas, it just wasn't mean to be 😔

[@AvelierPlays]

Battleborn wasn’t perfect, but it was a fun, complete game with both PvE and PvP. And yet, people who praised Overwatch and its “sequel” have been duped and shat on by ActiBlizzard over and over. Its an insult and a joke. Despite its shortcomings and its early death, Battleborn was the superior game in the end.

[@N.Bluesky]

Maybe it can be re-released? At least some people would like it. There is also this online petition, "Battle Re-born", which shows that interest in this game has not died for at least 2600 people. It may not seem like much, but maybe with more visibility...

[@marbl3d45]

Overwatch is still a good game altogether so stop huffing that Battleborn copium

[@AvelierPlays]

@@marbl3d45 No it's not, pot meet the kettle

[@zzurge1173]

@@marbl3d45 Hope your having fun playing overwatch 1.1

[@Seyanoo]

@@AvelierPlaysthey’re both dead either way lmfao

[@Kouh_Sijaed]

Gearbox needs to drop that Greasy man. Randy has made some good stuff in the past but the man is a Grimey CEO.

[@jakey14344]

Randy founded Gearbox so there's no way they're gonna fire him unless he retires. If the Borderlands movie bombed by 2029, that's the part where Randy should be kicked out of his own company.

[@kevindaydreamer]

And yet, Battleborn had PvE and no one committing suicide, nor a Cosby Suite in that office.

[@julianojosoa2145]

7:03 Evil Geniuses winning The International 2015, was an Iconic moment. It was the first and last time that NA won anything in DOTA2 x) They still got Super Teams like Shopify Rebellion, TSM, etc now but struggle a lot to win anything (Majors or The International)

[@lonewolffang]

The sad thing about BattleBorn is I had more fun playing it before they shut down the servers. Would be nice if someone picked it up and gave it another chance given how Overwatch 2, though still doing decent, ha list a lot of it's original player base.

[@cuppacoffee1572]

OW2 still has far more players than the first game ever did. Which is saying something.

[@seamusperkins2526]

​@@cuppacoffee1572No it's really not. OW2 is f2p. That simple.

[@druidshmooid]

I was a developer on Battleborn. There are many fingers that could be pointed at what was to blame, but ultimately it was a game that tried to be too many things and please too many people. It was originally planned as a F2P PvP FPS MOBA. The publisher wasn't comfortable with a F2P business model at that time, at least not with such a large upfront investment (Fortnite would come along and change everyone's minds soon after this, but it hadn't happened yet). To justify a $60 pricetag the decision was made, relatively late in the development cycle, to add PvE content. This content was given Gearbox's full attention, but it was not planned from the outset, leading to tension between PvE and PvP design goals (as well as increased technical difficulties). It also fractured the player pools, since players could only queue for one activity at a time, which had enormous implications on wait times and skill matching. There was a lot of love and passion put into that game, it's a shame more people didn't get a chance to play it. In the end, it was not one thing that killed the game, but many small things. It was a death from a thousand cuts, many (but not all) self-inflicted. I think narrower focus would have helped, as would have a different business model, as would a different launch window, as would marketing better distancing itself from Overwatch, as would have many of other things. And so it goes.

[@LexAnarchy]

Thank you for the insight and for helping to create this masterpiece of a game!

[@Adam-ei4oj]

Miss the game too death

[@cosmotect]

Even given Gearbox's shortcomings, the saga of Battleborn was just down to really unfortunate circumstances. I do agree with Randy there. Its a shame and I don't think they deserved it.

[@MythicFox]

The Overwatch release date wasn't an accident. Randy was talking smack on Twitter and got their attention. That's the unfortunate circumstance. Well, that and Gearbox marketing the game so poorly a lot of prospective players didn't even know what genre it was.

[@1gunnerShock]

This game deserved so much better, I loved how fun almost every character was to play

[@MythionVR]

Could have just titled it "Randy Pitchford" and that would have been all that was needed.

[@George_M_]

Battleborn character voice packs for, for example, XCOM 2 are fun. Hard to imagine it failed so epically. But like everyone else I didn't play it.

[@thenegromancer4695]

I was hype for Battleborn in highschool i thought it had more appealing character design and lore than overwatch on top of having more satisfying gameplay i wish people didn't write it off as a overwatch clone but just another hero shooter genre of moba

[@Giferis]

With the state of Overwatch2, the BattleBorn reboot would likely would do fairly well if not amazing.

[@kazmiller96]

I'm sure there might even be people that would be willing to give a Lawbreakers a chance lol.

[@Vert_GreenHeart]

Nah at least Overwtach 2 is still played, Battleborn just died few months after release.

[@mo_musashi_284]

Ol Please 👏

[@SL4PSH0CK]

well said, great thought. It's the perfect moment to strike what overwatch failed to deliver and and what already exist

[@negative6442]

@@kazmiller96 Lawbreakers was legit fun

[@michaelknox3715]

I kinda really want Battleborn to come back now. With Overwatch's controveries pilling up it seems like the perfect time for Battleborn to make a comeback😊

[@isaacargesmith8217]

Theres always paladins as an alternative.

[@josephmahar8809]

I remember playing the beta, and matches just dragged on for so long and were so boring.

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

It was correct that Battleborn and Overwatch were quite different. Battleborne was much more like your average MOBA but first person. I appreciated it because it was a replacement for Super Monday Night Combat. The issue, to me, was a really mediocre singleplayer/co-op campaign that they kept trying to push as the main component while the multiplayer languished under a lack of maps and a need for delicate balance. Meanwhile, Overwatch comparisons kept showing up with this really rich multiplayer-focused experience and I think at the end of the day - that's what people stick with long-term. It's nice to have a campaign, but I think in a world where you're competing on a multiplayer front, you have to have that as a the main focus.

[@Agent36]

I never thought about the similarities to Monday night combat which was an all time favorite of mine.

[@guy_who_games]

I honestly think Battleborn could have an audience if it came out today

[@michaelknox3715]

Same

[@Rolex-xr6rw]

Great game, played until the end with a group on Playstation. Will always be in my heart.

[@perryjohnson3801]

RIP Brothers In Arms, a great non forgotten franchise

[@PegLegManlet]

We will never get to fight in the snow.

[@arg_9584]

I still remember my friends deciding between battle born and Overeatch all those years ago. We knew only one would prevail.

[@pacivalmuller9333]

You can play Battleborn now offline with community mod.

[@HeWhoSoars.]

I so desperately want this game to make a come back...

[@TheMockedy]

Battleborn was actually very fun. The issue is that Blizzard did a brilliant/evil tactic of releasing their beta on the same day as Battleborn

[@N.Bluesky]

Not that I want to take advantage of Overwatch's difficulty, but players have made it clear that they want a multiplayer pve game. Maybe it's time for a re-release ? At least 2600 think so anyway. And I got that number from the online petition, called "Battle Re-born", which tries to show Gearbox that people are still interested in Battleborn.

[@Kishin-lv8dt]

Such a shame it was definitely unique as there was no other like it I bet you without its director, it's online only servers, and a reduced price tag (or better yet free to play) it would have definitely done better this year then when it was launched

[@phachaves]

It's just a hunch, but I believe that if Battleborn came out today ( and it was F2P) it would be way more successful than it ever was. Specially since Blizzard has been doing an AMAZING job making players hate all of their games, including Overwatch.

[@thegreatpoo2electricboogal318]

This is consistently the most underrated channel ever.

[@Cherb123456]

I knew when I watched the first footage of this game, that this was something special with great potential. What then happened with it starting with the release window placement, a tragedy really... such a great game, it would have been bigger than Overwatch, I feel.

[@drivanradosivic1357]

Battleborn set the release FIRST, Activisonless Lizzard did their overshadowing tactics. that said, a relaunch with offline and hosting would help it immensely. plus a shareware version with prologue, chapter 1 and 2 with the original starting heroes would work, base game and seasion 1 to buy would be great plus veteran discounted version to buy would be swell.

[@MythicFox]

@@drivanradosivic1357Unfortunately, I imagine the resources required for such a relaunch (in terms of time, effort, and money) would be more than Gearbox/2k put into promoting the game in the first place. They couldn't be bothered to do that back when there was a chance of making money off the game, they're certainly not going to do it now.

[@lilpimp994]

During the open beta, this game was better than Overwatch. The roster, the game modes, and the customization made this game superior. Not sure what happened after the full release.

[@MythicFox]

A lot of it comes down to the marketing. Battleborn was so poorly marketed a lot of players didn't even understand what genre it was. On top of that, Blizzard had the cash to throw around to make all those animated shorts that were impressive enough to distract people from the fact that, gameplay-wise, Overwatch was basically a better-polished TF2. In addition, there was the release date thing. It's not an accident that Blizzard released Overwatch three weeks after Battleborn -- and IIRC they had an open beta/server test of their own right alongside Battleborn's release. By some accounts, we can thank Randy talking smack on Twitter for Blizzard taking as much of an interest as they did. It didn't matter that Battleborn was, according to some reviews, as good as if not a little better than Overwatch gameplay-wise. In terms of getting people in the door, Battleborn was already two steps behind and the initial grind to unlock the characters (which, as I recall, was the big sticking point in early reviews) made it that much harder to keep players who'd poked at it for a couple of weeks and then saw the New Shiny Thing. And at that point the damage was done. It's possible the game could have been salvageable, but if Gearbox and 2k Games were interested in the effort and money required they would have spent it to make the game a success in the first place. Ninety percent of what went wrong can be laid at the feet of corporate mismanagement.

[@vanhooza]

I thought battleborn was awesome, thorn was such a dope character. Every game was different with the skill tree and it just felt good

[@otaku0698]

I liked BATTLEBORN. Game play was good and interesting way to upgrade characters via DNA. Like many of the characters had good and interesting personalities.

[@Scribble]

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO REVIVE THE GAME! LET'S BRING IT BACK BABYYYY

[@Agent36]

Pretty sure fornite also came out that day, they still had the single player part you could only get on disc. I bought battleborn instead. It was pretty fun and very different for the time.

[@Jixxyyy]

I actually still hold this game dear to my heart. It's a shame Overwatch overshadowed it so hardcore

[@joepwrsurge]

I love this story. I also love the story behind Socom 4.

[@lilbladeknight]

played the beta, and i loved it. reminded me of brink and that game was amazing too. oh well, its always the fun games that gets canceled and the predatory ones stays alive

[@Thedownliner2015]

One lie you will always hear from a publisher/dev is "This is our most ambitious project to date" because honestly what would people think if they said "Well this one didn't really take half as much resources or time or effort as the last one"?

[@jjj0309]

Whenever you're feeling sad, just remember that you're not Randy Pitchford.

[@vampiricpig1392]

The game legit looks pretty fun, really wish i got to experience it back in the day

[@thebigenchilada678]

It actually was a good bit of fun, but being a hero shooter with arcadey graphics at a time where the market was completely over saturated with the genre, it was destined to fail, despite it’s stark differences between overwatch and others.

[@vampiricpig1392]

@@thebigenchilada678 I do remember that time having loads upon loads of overwatch type games coming out to cash in, like how it was with battle royales Just like that, a buncha games will die barely getting a chance :( Shud have some offline stuff so it can live on in some form , so future people's can play

[@horrorking1000]

Still breaks my heart to this day such a gem they need to bring it back f2p

[@OrochiPops]

This was a great game that I enjoyed. I didn't get on the Overwatch train and was very disappointed this didn't last. I felt it was way better.

[@Dweller84]

"Disaster" and "Randy Pitchford" going hand in hand and the same description will also fit for the "Borderlands"-Movie...

[@RoseSupreme]

This game was done so *OUTRAGEOUSLY* dirty. It has so much charm, but thanks to its poorly-timed release against the now-insanely-infamous Overwatch, nobody gave the game a chance... with Overwatch suffering dreadfully now, I wish Gearbox would consider relaunching this game. But I highly doubt it.

[@jakebogenschutz6283]

Absolutely loved this game! Release it and it might be something now.

[@Diazepamo]

OH SHUT UP RANDY!

[@AegisAuras]

I was a big fan of both Overwatch and Battleborn back when. I actually enjoyed BB more due to its more tactical combat pacing and hero build depth. Despite that, OW had more appealing character design, art direction, smoother controls, and better sensory feedback for things like taking damage. OW was more appealing to the senses but was a shallower experience comparatively. I think the majority of gamers were drawn in by that initial appeal, avoiding BB for the lack of such.

[@Seyanoo]

Say what you will about Blizzard but they have an amazing art team. I found BB characters ugly and unimaginative while Overwatch had much more of a simple but aesthetic pleasing character designs that looked more iconic.

[@AegisAuras]

@@Seyanoo I think at the end of the day, people prefer their characters to be attractive and cool rather than wacky and bizarre.