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Gearbox files trademark for familiar-sounding 'Borderworlds' [update]

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 4th 2009 at 1:00PM }

We can't put our finger on it, but for some reason, Gearbox's recent trademark filing for the title Borderworlds sounds awfully familiar. Oh, that's right! It released that other game with the eerily similar title earlier this year, Border ... wait. Borderareas. Or was it Borderlocales? Borderlands? No, wait, it was Borderregions. Yeah, definitely Borderregions.

Following yesterday's positive comments from the Take-Two conference call, a sequel to the fastest-selling new IP of 2009 certainly seems like a natural next step. However, considering a world is considerably larger than a land ... or region, Gearbox could be planning something appropriately larger in scope than the series' first installment. Or, it could simply be covering its titular bases, as appears to be the case with the "War Hero" trademarks filed earlier this year.

Update: Apparently, the Borderworlds trademark was filed back in 2007. Apologies for the confusion!

[Via superannuation]

Take-Two: Borderlands franchise 'important' and 'long-term'

by Randy Nelson { Dec 3rd 2009 at 7:45PM }

After being recognized as the year's fastest-selling new IP and its developer calling a sequel a "no-brainer," Borderlands is "showing every sign of becoming an important, long-term franchise" for publisher Take-Two Interactive. That comment was made today by company chairman Strauss Zelnick, during the same earnings call in which a considerable delay for another important franchise title, Max Payne 3, was disclosed.

But really, who cares about Max "I don't need an intervention" Payne when faced with the prospect of Borderlands: The Clap Trap Chronicles?

German Borderlands importers encounter incompatible DLC

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 2nd 2009 at 6:30PM }

German Borderlands players who just had to import the gory, uncensored version of the title from another region are getting their comeuppance. According to a lengthy thread on the Gearbox forums, players who purchase the Zombie Island of Doctor Ned expansion from the German Xbox Live Marketplace can't access the new content from their imported copies of the game.

We've contacted Gearbox to find out if anything is being done to refund the DLC's 800

cost to these depraved, violence-crazed importers. They certainly don't seem like the type of crowd you'd want to upset.

Gearbox spills details on Borderlands' Zombie Island DLC

by Justin McElroy { Nov 19th 2009 at 9:06AM }

Even with all the delightful new games on store shelves, we know you Borderlands addicts are still jonesing for more loot. Sure, it's not something you'd discuss with your family, but it's a disease, a terrible thirst that can only be slaked by DLC. MTV's got some more information on the first announced chunk, "The Zombie Island Of Doctor Ned."

The $9.99 island (due November 24 on PS3 and 360) is approximately as big as one of the smaller areas in the game and provides around four to six hours of gameplay, according to DLC design director Paul Helquist. Getting to the island and all the delicious new weapons within is a snap: You can teleport directly to the content after you buy it, and as long as you're level 10 or above the area will scale to you.

Hopefully that'll give you gear junkies enough info to stave off cravings until -- hey, are you licking the screen?!

Borderlands soundtrack escapes the vault on Dec. 8

by David Hinkle { Nov 18th 2009 at 2:15AM }

Rejoice! Come December 8, you'll be able to grab your own copy of the Borderlands soundtrack in store or via iTunes, as Sumthing Else Music has announced (via Big Download) that it's handling the publishing rights. There is one issue, however. "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" by Cage The Elephant will not be included on the disc, so you're going to need to continue rocking your F5 finger on this YouTube page if you want to keep listening to it. We know, it sucks, but a calloused index finger is a small price to pay for listening to an entirely badass song forever.

Gearbox: Borderlands fastest-selling new IP of 2009

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 17th 2009 at 1:30PM }

Gearbox has declared that Borderlands, the studio's original RPG-FPS ("RPS") hybrid, is the current leader in the annual undercard, the race to fastest-selling new IP of the year. While it might not make it onto a second-printing retail box, the accolade is still significant, as it implies that a new game has at least been noticed among the familiar franchises that dominate the monthly sales charts. What better hook to land a publisher when pitching a sequel?

Going by not entirely public NPD sales figures (in North America), Gearbox has determined that Borderlands had the most launch-week sales of any new IP in 2009. The only other title that could contest that would be Prototype, which enjoyed greater sales on the Xbox 360 platform (but just by 1,900 units) than did Borderlands when comparing the two games' respective launch months (419.9k vs. 418k units). However, Prototype, which released June 9, was available at retail for 11 more days during its launch month than was Borderlands (October 20). While we don't know total sales of either title during their launch months (both were released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC), it's reasonable to assume that Borderlands is the fast-selling new IP (during a launch week), if not the best-selling one in combined platform sales for a launch month in 2009.

So, congratulations! But watch out for Dragon Age: Origins -- we hear it's fast, too.

To Borderlands director, a sequel 'seems like a no-brainer'

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 11th 2009 at 3:30PM }

If you build it, they will come -- mostly for the loot. That's how Borderlands creative director Mike Neumann candidly describes the possibility of a sequel to his game. "Yes, I can probably confirm that there's a chance of a Borderlands 2 ," he told VG247 with a chuckle. "I mean, with anything, especially a new IP, if people want more and you can make more, and everybody can make money and do good business there, it obviously makes really good sense to do that."

An unexpectedly large number of people thought it made really good sense to purchase the colorful, FPS-RPG hybrid. Neumann jokingly admits surprise at seeing stores running out of stock, even though "it certainly doesn't suck to be the people who made the game you can't keep in stock."

Though plans for a sequel have yet to manifest outside of the water cooler area -- Gearbox is currently grinding through Borderlands DLC -- Neumann believes the "praise and love" for the franchise will make that first decision easier. "So yeah, if everything makes sense, Borderlands 2 seems like a no-brainer to me."

Borderlands DLC available November 24 on PS3, Xbox 360

by JC Fletcher { Nov 9th 2009 at 4:40PM }

Starting November 24, Dr. Ned is graciously opening his Zombie Island to any gun-toting maniac with ten bucks. 2K has announced the price ($9.99/800

) and release date for the first Borderlands DLC pack on PS3 and Xbox 360. The publisher tells Joystiq that the DLC's availability for the PC version is yet to be determined -- in other words, it's probably not coming out on November 24. Though, that's unconfirmed and subject to pending details.

2K promises "ferocious brain-eating zombies, carnivorous Were-Skags and more" on the spooky island, but, perhaps more relevant to weapon-obsessed Borderlands players, there's more "sweet, sweet loot" to find.

Gallery: Borderlands -- The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

Borderlands Glitch Watch 2009: Radeon-powered PC crashes

by David Hinkle { Nov 3rd 2009 at 8:00PM }

Oh, poor little Borderlands -- Gearbox just can't catch a break! On top of the ongoing list of things that need to get fixed and the still unresolved character-nuking glitch on consoles, now PC players are starting to experience some serious issues. Specifically, the game is crashing for those who have certain ATI Radeon graphics cards.

Reader Bryan tipped us off to three different forums on Steam, AMD and Gearbox, where numerous users haven't even been able to get past the game's first mission. We've reached out to Gearbox for comment and will be sure to update the post when we hear back.

[Thanks, Bryan!]

Source - Steam forums
Source - AMD forums
Source - Gearbox forums

Borderlands console patches go live, Lilith gets some loving

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 30th 2009 at 11:45AM }

We felt so bad for Borderlands' stealthy female protagonist, Lilith. While other characters' abilities were in perfect working order, her top-tier "Phase Strike" power was, well, broken. Enemies who experienced the attack began to make fun of Lilith, referring to the maligned ability as "Phase Wrist-Slap" or "Phase Hug," for which her cohorts constantly teased her.

Fret no more, dearest Lilith! Gearbox released a patch earlier today for the PS3 and 360 versions of Borderlands which, in addition to improving load times and fixing a number of small technical snafus (the full list of which are after the jump), also fixes your Phase Strike ability. Just make sure you savor the experience when you first use the renovated power -- the surprise on your combatant's face is going to be delectable.

Continued →

PSA: Gearbox isn't working on an XBLA game

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 27th 2009 at 5:30PM }

We're not too proud to imagine we're the only video game blog you read (no, really ... it's okay, we understand). As such, earlier today, you might have read a story elsewhere speculating that Gearbox was busy working on an XBLA game. The rumor began as the result of a Twitter update from Gearbox level designer Zach Ford, which mentioned that he had just seen "our XBLA character rigged." We decided to contact Ford to see just what it was he was talking about, and he was nice enough to clear things up.

"This is just a side project where we're trying to expand our skill sets," Ford told Joystiq. "The project is in no way affiliated with GBX. Just something to play around with after work." So there you have it, no XBLA games on the way from Gearbox -- at least not officially. Now go back to Borderlands.

Aussie Steam users get low-violence Borderlands by accident, fix incoming

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 27th 2009 at 4:00PM }

Oops! Australia has become so synonymous with censorship that even distributors are starting to get confused. Despite the unedited version of Borderlands passing the OFLC's ratings board successfully, it turns out that a "low-violence" version was accidentally uploaded for Aussies on Steam.

2K Games Australia is apparently working on getting the correct version onto Steam before the game launches in a few days. This does not affect the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, which will be presented in what can only be described as "full violence" mode. Now, with luck, Australia will have the exact opposite problem with Left 4 Dead 2's launch.

[Via Big Download]

Gearbox details known Borderlands glitches, workarounds

by David Hinkle { Oct 27th 2009 at 3:15PM }

After dealing with shortages and that PS3 friends list thing, a few Borderlands players have now reported encountering an online glitch that erases everything. Yes, folks -- it's so bad, we had to put it in italics.

You can check out the list of ongoing issues for yourself over at the Gearbox forums, where the biggest perpetrator is undoubtedly the glitch that causes a player's stats to be downgraded to a big fat zero following another player joining or vacating an online match. Another glitch does the same thing, only with your entire inventory of weapons; Gearbox says the worst issues are fairly infrequent, as scary as they may sound.

As of right now, there's currently no fix or workaround for a lot of the potential game breakers, though the majority of issues aren't as bad as those listed above. Still, Gearbox is working to resolve these issues and if you've found something that isn't on the list, we suggest you hit up the technical support section. We can all make these lands a better place ... together.

[Via 1UP]

Gearbox expects more Brothers in Arms, not planning on Wii Borderlands port

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 23rd 2009 at 5:30PM }

Gearbox Software Vice President Brian Martel reveals that gamers can expect another Brothers in Arms installment and that a Wii version of Borderlands isn't likely. Speaking with local TV station CBS 11, Martel notes that more Brothers in Arms is in "the future for sure" for the developer. A surprising admission, since BiA: Hell's Highway's retail performance was cited by sources as a cause for layoffs at the developer last year. Apparently the series warrants another go.

Martel also mentions that there are some ways Borderlands could work on the Wii and its control scheme, but it doesn't sound like the company is interested in porting the main game. He mentions that Gearbox may take the character Claptrap and possibly make him into a "sort of a side-scroller character." Gearbox will likely be protective of the IP that appears to be the surprise hit of the season.

[Via ThatVideoGameBlog]

Borderlands PC DRM loyally guards street date; Pitchford unable to order stand-down

by James Ransom-Wiley { Oct 23rd 2009 at 12:29PM }

Isn't this what we all feared would happen when the machines took over? Even the boss's hands are tied in the curious case of consumers legally purchasing copies of Borderlands for PC, only to be barred from playing until the game's official street date, October 26, which is six days later than the console release. On publisher 2K Games' forums, the conspiracy theory abounds -- it's a tactic to boost console sales! -- but the obvious conclusion is that the digital rights management (DRM) technology in place to "protect" the game's release date unnecessarily punishes consumers.

Big Download contacted Randy Pitchford, president of Borderlands development studio Gearbox Software, who said, "I don't know if something can be done to unlock copies for people that somehow get a copy before the street date ... I certainly can't do anything about it." Pitchford's sympathetic, of course -- which reminds him of, ugh, Valve's Half-Life 2 DRM -- but as a developer there's not much he can do once the game's been handed over to the publisher and surrounded by unflinching DRM.

"I know how that feels," Pitchford related. "I'm sorry it's happening to customers of Borderlands, and I wish there was something I could do about it."