New YORK: Gearbox Software is the studio behind the popular Borderlands series and is also working on the upcoming new IP, Battleborn. Through their work on Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, developers at Gearbox have gotten the chance to become familiar with the PS4 and Xbox One.
Gameplay is another area that has plenty of new possibilities and hopefully Gearbox Software will be able to realize some of that with their upcoming work. One of the best gameplay system innovations we’ve seen in this generation has got to be the Nemesis System and its impact on a player’s experience. With that system, battles became personal and loses became infuriating.
Narrative and character development are two major strengths at Gearbox Software and new-gen should help them embellish upon those positives even more. In an exclusive interview with Examiner.com, Gearbox Software Producer James Lopez talked about what he sees as an opportunity because of the PS4 and Xbox One’s emergence.
“I think for [Gearbox], the emphasis has always been on story because it’s very engaging. We believe in entertaining people and having moving experiences for them. I think that’s definitely a pillar of our studio. What’s really interesting with this new generation is people who crave AAA games have a definite bar for quality of images and frame rate. I think that’s really rad because it all just benefits the player [since] they reap the benefits of a new standard,” Lopez said.
Gearbox Software has been company unafraid to have its characters standout and be unique. In fact, their Borderlands games are successful just for that reason. Players can appreciate when a developer is real and unabashed with who they are and who their characters are. Delivering convincing characters is part of creating a compelling story, and Gearbox knows that just as much as the next developer does.
Most people in the industry have noticed the decline in major releases during the first half of 2015 and that trend doesn’t show any sign of disappearing anytime soon. Depending on who you ask, there are a variety of reasons for this, and Lopez agrees.
“I think it depends on the make of the studio and what their resources are. In many ways, it’s such a business question because everyone wants to release the best thing they can but there are always very real limitations. Do you have the right people to make that happen? Do you have the time and the money to make that happen? Is there a point where you risk losing relevance if you emphasize the wrong things at that time?” Lopez said.
As many are hoping, the fall could be yet another time when most 2015 releases arrive. There are already two major launches setup for Sept. 1, those being Mad Max and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection will serve as a viable option for gamers looking to spend some quality time in some great games. The collection is made up of Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and it will all be released on March 24 for PS4 and Xbox One.
