Gearbox used to be most well-known for its work on the famous Borderlands series, which itself became famous for its zany, humor-filled gameplay, rewarding cooperative experience, and endlessly quotable villains. The studio's sudden shift last year to begin work on a competitive team-based shooter came as a surprise to many, especially in the wake of Blizzard's immensely successful Overwatch, and while BattleBorn enjoyed a moderate level of popularity in its infancy, the game suffered enormously in the shadow of such strong competition.
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Low sales and a subsequently lower player-base eventually spurred the developers to roll BattleBorn into free-to-play (F2P) mode, despite statements to the contrary from Gearbox President Randy Pitchford and the enormous negative reception to the previewed F2P model. Following decisions from Pitchford would prove to be... less than popular, leading to a growing resentment towards Gearbox and general feelings of apathy with regards to BattleBorn.
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While it's hard to pinpoint exactly when the final nail was delivered, we can report today that the coffin containing the first-person shooter was buried this weekend. According to a letter released over Gearbox's forums, the developers have officially halted maintenance on BattleBorn.
It's been a while since I've communicated with you directly, so I wanted to take the opportunity to write you as BattleBorn rounds another milestone in its life.
As of this week, there will be no more Battleplans and there is currently no planned content after the Fall Update. Details of any future changes or news will be made on our forums or through social media, so keep your radars on.
The letter goes on to reveal that, while BattleBorn will remain available for play, any updates or content patches for the foreseeable future have been canceled as Gearbox shifts its development team towards a "highly anticipated but unannounced game." According to very strong hints from Randy Pitchford himself, it's all-but-confirmed that this title is none other than Borderlands 3.
BattleBorn is currently accessible via the Steam Store as either a free trial or a full ($25) purchase - although SteamCharts reports that game reached a peak of a mere 150 players over the last month, so don't expect many companions. Gearbox is giving away a new skin for one of BattleBorn's characters however, and with the recent news there will probably be an influx of players over the next few weeks, so if you're interested, feel free to give the game one final try.
