Gearbox President, Randy Pitchford, wonders why no one has stolen the game’s formula in an industry known for such things before quickly stating that he is not challenging anyone to do so.
Borderlands was a breath of fresh air when it was released back in the day with its cel-shaded art-style and blend of first-person shooter gameplay and RPG elements. Throw in an expansive open world post-apocalyptic setting and suddenly it becomes clear why the game become an instant cult-classic.
The game was released across all major platforms, apart from the Nintendo Wii and proved to be a major success.
Gearbox, the game’s developers, reaped the rewards of taking such a huge risk on the title with solid sales figures and praise from critics and fans alike. The game also went on to win a number of awards as well.
The sequel to the game, Borderlands 2, has already gone Gold, which means it’s currently being written on discs and being prepped for retail. Gearbox has also announced a number of limited editions for the game.
However, Randy Pitchford, the president of Gearbox, is left wondering why the game has not been copied by anyone during this time.
He shared his surprise publically when he said, “I’m actually astonished that we’re about to launch a sequel and no one’s stole it from us.”
Pitchford continued, “We’re in an industry where people do nothing but steal from each other.” A bold statement from the Gearbox president but one that is hard to deny or argue against it.
The Gearbox executive continued to share his bewilderment by subtly tempting some talent developer to make a Borderlands rip-off. Pitchford said, “The formula’s right there. No one’s stolen it yet. That’s weird.”
However, Pitchford probably realised that what he said may be interpreted by many as a challenge and knowing how vast the World Wide Web is tried to recover the situation.
He quickly added, “Not that I want anyone to steal it, or I’m challenging people to steal it.”
It might probably be too late for that last statement, however, it is easy to find out where the developer is coming from. When a studio comes up with a winning formula other studios usually jump on the bandwagon; some titles are more successful than others but the number of games similar to the God of War series should give gamers an idea the phenomenon.
Another example, which has actually helped the video game industry, is how studios have raised their production values and increased their emphasis on storytelling following the success of Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series.
E3 was a perfect example of this as a number of titles attempting to replicate the grand adventure feel of Nathan Drake’s three outings.
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