Battleborn (video game)

Gameplay

Battleborn is described as a hero shooter, primarily a first-person shooter incorporating multiplayer online battle arena elements. In any of the game's modes, the player selects from one of several pre-defined hero characters that they have available, each with their own unique attributes, attacks, powers and skills, which can include casting magic and area-of-effect attacks. During character selection, the player also selects a loadout that can have up to three pieces of gear to bring into a match, earned from previous matches. Each piece requires a number of shards, in-game currency collected during a match, to activate during a match, and once activated, stay active for the remainder of the match. This equipment can boost or detract from base attributes or give additional benefits to the character. Shards can also be used to activate special turrets on maps to strategically defend points.

The hero's base combat level starts at 1 at the start of a round, and as the player defeat enemies and complete other objectives, they will gain experience towards further levels. With each new level, the player can then select one of two or more perks specific to that character along that character's "Helix Tree", including unlocking the character's strongest "ultimate ability". These experience levels only apply within the current match and reset on the start of a new match.

In Battleborn's meta-game, both the player's "command level" (applying across all characters for a given player) and a character-specific level can be increased based on performance in matches. In this meta-game, new character levels will unlock new perks that can be selected on the Helix Tree, alternative outfits, and other cosmetic improvements. Higher command levels will unlock additional characters that the player can select from, among other benefits. New gear is earned as loot drops from the completion of a match, or through picking up loot during a match, or may be purchased in special loot chests using in-game coins earned from playing matches or from gaining command levels. The player can only store a limited number of pieces of equipment, but can sell unneeded equipment for coins to apply at the meta-game. Battleborn requires a constant Internet connection to play due to the game's meta-game features.

The game features 25 playable characters upon release, with each having different abilities and weapons; characters are broadly categorized based on their movement speed and agility, combat range and effectiveness, and the difficulty of playing the character. For example, Rath is a melee-based character who is equipped with a katana, while Thorn is a long-ranged character, whose primary weapon is a bow. Characters of supporting role, such as Miko, who specializes in healing other characters of the same team, are also playable. Not all characters are available when the player starts the game, and are unlocked for play by completing both missions and multiplayer games, and raising their command rank.

Battleborn includes a story-based mission mode that enables five players to cooperate to complete various missions that include objective-driven narratives used as backstory for some of the hero characters. There are also three main multiplayer modes in the game that pit two teams of five players each against each other: Meltdown, a standard team-based arena mode where the team that scores the most kills wins; Incursion, a mode similar to most MOBAs where teams have to take the opponents' base while protecting their own base, and Capture, where teams vie to seize and hold several control points on a map. Characters controlled by artificial intelligence in multiplayer are available in some game modes.

Battleborn initially did not support microtransactions, and it was only introduced in a June 2016 update. Players can use real money to obtain in-game credits that can be spent on skins and taunts for the various characters (some which can already be earned through advancement with the character), but otherwise has no direct influence on gameplay. Gearbox plans to release downloadable content that will also include new skins and taunts for existing characters in the future.

Setting

The game is set in a space fantasy setting, in which every species fled to a star known as Solus after a disastrous event destroyed most other planets and stars in the universe. These species are divided into different factions upon their arrivals, and eventually they united and cooperate with each other by sending out the best fighters, who are labelled as Battleborn, to fight against Varelsi, the origin of the catastrophe.

Development

Battleborn was announced by Gearbox Software and 2K Games and revealed by Game Informer on July 8, 2014. It will be the first original game developed by Gearbox Software since the release of Borderlands in 2009, and is also claimed to be "the most ambitious video game that Gearbox has ever created." and a "genre-fused" video game by Gearbox Software's president, Randy Pitchford.

In a 2017 interview, Pitchford said that prior to Battleborn's development, the principle way to market and promote first-person shooters was to emphasis what abilities the player-character had, which made elements like a detailed game world or narrative a secondary consideration. This led to them thinking about creating a game with "a wide spectrum" of characters and abilities which then could be used in large-player game modes. Pitchford recognized that they already had experience creating a diverse array of characters through the Borderlands series, and that this roster of heroes approach was gaining popularity in multiplayer online battle arenas. With Battleborn, Pitchford wanted to take the combination of first-person shooter and role-playing elements they had from Borderlands, and mix in the range of heroes as to create a new genre, what has become known as the "hero shooter".

Several gameplay elements from Furious 4, another project from Gearbox which was cancelled in July 2015, were transferred to the game. A closed technical test for this game, which allows Gearbox to test the multiplayer servers and alter the balance between characters, was held on October 29, 2015. A beta for the game was released on April 8, 2016. It came to the PS4 first before other platforms. Battleborn's PC open beta began on April 13, 2016 and lasted until April 18, 2016. Players were able to participate in both story mode and two competitive multiplayer modes: Incursion and Meltdown. More than 2 million players participated in the beta. The game was set to be released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One on February 9, 2016, but was later delayed to May 3, 2016.

The game's graphics are inspired by computer-generated imagery like the movies produced by Pixar, as well as Anime, the animations developed in Japan. When creating the game's 2D graphics, the team hired Michel Gagné, a Canadian cartoonist, to work on the 2D effects of the game's maps and characters' abilities. The team also drew inspirations from a variety of fighting games, multiplayer online battle arena games, role-playing games and toys from the 1980s.

In addition to the standard version, players can purchase the Digital Deluxe Edition, which includes the game's Season Pass and cosmetic items. Five additional characters are set to be released for the game upon release for free, and 5 different paid packs, which includes additional story content, are also scheduled to be released after the game's launch.

Rumors surrounding the game turning free-to-play started to circulate around the internet, but Gearbox president Randy Pitchford declined any plans of turning the game free-to-play, although he did mention ideas of releasing a free "trial version".

On October 3, 2016 2K Games announced the addition of a new competitive game mode called Face-Off, to be released for free to all players who own Battleborn on October 13, 2016. The game mode launched alongside the first DLC Story Operation, titled "“Attikus and the Thrall Rebellion.”

Reception

Battleborn received "mixed to average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.

Destructoid awarded it a score of 6 out of 10, saying that the game is "Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy this game, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled." GameSpot awarded it a score of 7 out of 10, saying "With so many moving parts that never quite gel, I found plenty of things to love but just as much to feel confused by and ambivalent about." IGN awarded it a score of 7.1 out of 10, saying "Battleborn's fun heroes and leveling will keep you hooked despite a lack of content." Hardcore Gamer awarded it a score of 4.5 out of 5, saying "Battleborn has done what I would have previously thought was impossible: it has kept me interested in its multiplayer. I typically grow bored with adversarial multiplayer after about an hour or two, yet I have spent so much time with this title already and want to keep going." PlayStation LifeStyle awarded it a score of 8 out of 10, saying "If Borderlands and the MOBA genre could have a baby, I imagine it would look something like Battleborn. Gearbox Software’s signature style shines here, even if the humor falls flat most of the time"

Battleborn was the best selling retail game in its week of release in the UK. It fell, however, to being the 12th best selling retail game in the UK the next week. According to director Randy Varnell, the launch week sales of the game is similar to that of the first Borderlands. It was the fourth highest-selling game in the United States for May 2016 according to NPD Group. It has grossed $18 million.

Decline

Though Battleborn received positive praise and had high sales, the game's player base quickly declined after release, primarily due to the release of another hero shooter, Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment, on May 24, 2016. Gearbox had already been developing Battleborn and had fixed their expected release date when Blizzard announced Overwatch for release within a few weeks of Battleborn. Though they had considered trying to change the release date as Blizzard had a larger promotional budget that could easily overwhelm 2K Games, Pitchford opted to stay to what they planned and instead make sure the game's release went smoothly and to highlight how Battleborn differed from Overwatch.

By July 2016, the number of concurrent players on PC had dropped below 1000 compared to more than 12,000 at the launch of the game. Although Take-Two revealed that the game did not meet the firms's sales expectations, 2K will continue to support the game through add-on content and virtual currency. An industry rumor in September 2016 suggested that the game will switch to a free to play model in the near future, which would follow a similar path that 2K Games' Evolve had done in July 2016 and subsequently saw an increase in player base size. This rumor was later refuted by Gearbox president Randy Pitchford. Pitchford claimed they have seen 3 million unique players across all systems and that "we're okay. I'm not freaking out. We're fine." in terms of sales.