Gearbox Software, known for their lively and fan-friendly PAX panels, have confirmed their appearance at the upcoming PAX South in San Antonio, Texas.
The panel, titled ‘Inside Gearbox Software,’ will take place on January 25, 10:30 am at the Main Theater. The panel description reads:
This is your opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Gearbox Software and get the latest news and updates on Borderlands and upcoming Gearbox titles. We will have never-before-seen reveals, exclusives and surprises, so don’t miss out!
The ‘upcoming Gearbox titles’ part is likely alluding to Battleborn, a DOTA-styled first person multiplayer shooter. So far what little Gearbox has revealed of the game has gotten lukewarm reception, with some comparing it to a free-to-play reskin of Borderlands, so it’s likely that Gearbox will be pouring out more information on the game.
Another possibility is a new IP based on the Brothers in Arms series. An Inglourious Basterds-styled sequel, titled Furious Four, was originally envisioned, but was later scrapped in favor of reimagining it as a completely new IP. According to their announcement at Pax Prime in 2013, Gearbox are also working on another, currently unknown IP.
And as far as Borderlands is concerned, we’re likely to get more news on the second episode of Tales from the Borderlands, Telltale Games’ point and click adventure interpretation of the beloved franchise. The first episode was released last November to critical acclaim, and the second one is due sometime this year. There’s also the possibility that Borderlands 3 could be announced. In 2012, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford denied that a third Borderlands was in development, but added that he “expects that to change at some point.”
It’s a lot of work for one studio to tackle, as Gearbox themselves found out when they tried to work on both Borderlands 2 and Aliens: Colonial Marines at the same time. The latter was later released in an unfinished state to abysmal reviews, and resulted in a class action lawsuit against publisher Sega. Most recently, Colonial Marines was removed from Steam over an expired license. Let’s hope Gearbox have learned their lesson to not bite off more than they can chew.