Battleborn | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 01 Feb 2021 11:52:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Battleborn | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Battleborn has shut down for good https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-has-shut-down-for-good/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-has-shut-down-for-good/#respond Mon, 01 Feb 2021 11:52:53 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=503092 Gearbox missed the mark back in 2016 with Battleborn. While the game presented an interesting mix mechanics in both single-player and multiplayer form, it ultimately failed to garner much of a playerbase and as a result, Gearbox stopped working on it in 2017. Now, the game has officially shut down for good. Gearbox announced that …

The post Battleborn has shut down for good first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Gearbox missed the mark back in 2016 with Battleborn. While the game presented an interesting mix mechanics in both single-player and multiplayer form, it ultimately failed to garner much of a playerbase and as a result, Gearbox stopped working on it in 2017. Now, the game has officially shut down for good.

Gearbox announced that it would be shutting down Battleborn back in November 2020. Players had until the 31st of January to play the game one last time. Now we've entered February 2021 and Battleborn is no longer playable. Unfortunately, this server closure means even the single-player portion of the game can no longer be played – at least not officially.

As Eurogamer points out, some of the last remaining players took to the Battleborn subreddit yesterday to officially say goodbye to the game.

Moving forward, Gearbox will be working on some additional Borderlands 3 DLC and will continue publishing games too, like Homeworld 3, which is currently in the works.

KitGuru Says: Did any of you play Battleborn at all after its release? Do you think Gearbox will return to this IP someday?

The post Battleborn has shut down for good first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-has-shut-down-for-good/feed/ 0
Battleborn is officially shutting down https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-is-officially-shutting-down/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-is-officially-shutting-down/#respond Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:32:57 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=438284 Gearbox missed the mark back in 2016 with Battleborn. While the game presented an interesting mix of MOBA mechanics in both single-player and multiplayer form, it released too closely to Overwatch and ultimately failed to garner much of a playerbase. In 2017, Gearbox announced that it would no longer be updating the game in order …

The post Battleborn is officially shutting down first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Gearbox missed the mark back in 2016 with Battleborn. While the game presented an interesting mix of MOBA mechanics in both single-player and multiplayer form, it released too closely to Overwatch and ultimately failed to garner much of a playerbase. In 2017, Gearbox announced that it would no longer be updating the game in order to ramp up production on Borderlands 3. Now, the game is shutting down for good. 

In a series of tweets, the Battleborn Twitter account confirmed that “the process of gradually sunsetting” the game has begun. Starting from the 24th of February 2020, virtual currency will no longer be purchasable in-game, although you will still be able to play the game, which throws coins and platinum at you for matches anyway.

Phase Two begins in January 2021, which is when the servers will be taken offline for good, making the game unplayable. Unfortunately, this also means the single-player part of the game won't be playable either- well, not officially at least.

Obviously, none of this is particularly surprising. Battleborn has only really made headlines twice since 2016, once when the game essentially went free to play and again right now to mark the game's closure. According to Steam Charts, the game peaked at a grand total of 99 concurrent players in 2019, while the current 24-hour peak is just 17. The all-time peak for Battleborn was just over 12,000 concurrent players.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Battleborn is officially being phased out and we're unlikely to hear Gearbox mention it again, particularly now that Borderlands is back in the spotlight. Did any of you ever try Battleborn? 

 

The post Battleborn is officially shutting down first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-is-officially-shutting-down/feed/ 0
Gearbox is leaving Battleborn behind after its next update to focus on Borderlands 3 https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/gearbox-is-leaving-battleborn-behind-after-its-next-update-to-focus-on-borderlands-3/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/gearbox-is-leaving-battleborn-behind-after-its-next-update-to-focus-on-borderlands-3/#respond Mon, 18 Sep 2017 11:59:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=347003 Gearbox missed the mark last year when it came to Battleborn. The game wasn't terrible but the fact that it released so close to Overwatch meant that it didn't stand much of a chance in the grand scheme of things. Over the last year, Gearbox has continued to update the game but now, it is …

The post Gearbox is leaving Battleborn behind after its next update to focus on Borderlands 3 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Gearbox missed the mark last year when it came to Battleborn. The game wasn't terrible but the fact that it released so close to Overwatch meant that it didn't stand much of a chance in the grand scheme of things. Over the last year, Gearbox has continued to update the game but now, it is officially time to move on as things ramp up for Borderlands 3.

In a post over on the Gearbox forums, Battleborn's Creative Director, Randy Varnell, noted that after the upcoming Fall update, the studio would be moving on. As for those who own the game and want to keep playing, the servers will remain up “for the foreseeable future”. There are currently no publicly known plans to take the game offline entirely.

Back in June, Gearbox tried to give Battleborn a second chance at life by launching a free trial, which effectively made the game free to play without actually labelling it that. The Battleborn developers will now turn their attention to a “highly anticipated project”.

We already know that Borderlands 3 is in the works, so this is likely going to be the next game we see from Gearbox.

KitGuru Says: Much of Battleborn's marketing didn't play to the game's strength. Instead, a lot of time and effort went into drumming up a rivalry between it and Overwatch, which ultimately didn't pay off at all. However, with Borderlands 3, Gearbox has a chance to recoup those losses. It will certainly be interesting to see what the studio does with the franchise as we have yet to see a new Borderlands title for current generation consoles. 

 

The post Gearbox is leaving Battleborn behind after its next update to focus on Borderlands 3 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/gearbox-is-leaving-battleborn-behind-after-its-next-update-to-focus-on-borderlands-3/feed/ 0
Battleborn isn’t going free to play anytime soon https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-isnt-going-free-to-play-anytime-soon/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-isnt-going-free-to-play-anytime-soon/#comments Fri, 30 Sep 2016 15:11:56 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=307545 It is no secret that Battleborn is in a tough position right now, with very few players still logging in to play the game regularly. This has led to speculation about the game going free to play and while reports this week claimed that it would very soon, it looks like that isn't the plan …

The post Battleborn isn’t going free to play anytime soon first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It is no secret that Battleborn is in a tough position right now, with very few players still logging in to play the game regularly. This has led to speculation about the game going free to play and while reports this week claimed that it would very soon, it looks like that isn't the plan as Gearbox head, Randy Pitchford, spoke out against the rumours.

The initial report came from Kotaku, citing its own sources close to Gearbox's plans for Battleborn. However, hours after publishing, Randy Pitchford took to Twitter to say that: “Battleborn going F2P is false, there are no plans to convert Battleborn free to play”.

bb-screen-2

However, Battleborn will be getting a free ‘trial version' in an effort to get people to at least give the game a shot before buying: “We have some unannounced plans to do a trial version of the game that would be free and from which retail can be purchased along with DLC. Free trial plans are not firm yet – months away. Expect great continued support and awesome line-up of DLC.”

He then reiterated that this trial version is “months away at best”, so don't expect it any time soon. There's nothing else known about the trial at this time or what it will include, though it won't be a timed demo. It could potentially be level-capped similarly to how Blizzard handles WoW, allowing players to hit level 20 before buying the game or a subscription. However, we don't have any official details right now.

KitGuru Says: Battleborn isn't a bad game, but Gearbox made the mistake of pitting it against Overwatch, which clearly backfired. Would you guys try Battleborn out if there were a free trial version? Do you think the game should go completely free to play?

 

The post Battleborn isn’t going free to play anytime soon first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-isnt-going-free-to-play-anytime-soon/feed/ 1
Battleborn is getting cosmetic microtransactions this week https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-is-getting-cosmetic-microtransactions-this-week/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-is-getting-cosmetic-microtransactions-this-week/#respond Wed, 15 Jun 2016 15:26:20 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=296134 After six weeks or so out on the market, Gearbox's new multiplayer title Battleborn is going through some changes, with microtransactions set to be introduced in the game. On the 16th of June, a Battleborn update will add premium character skins and currency known as ‘Platinum' to buy them. Gearbox will be selling Platinum in …

The post Battleborn is getting cosmetic microtransactions this week first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
After six weeks or so out on the market, Gearbox's new multiplayer title Battleborn is going through some changes, with microtransactions set to be introduced in the game. On the 16th of June, a Battleborn update will add premium character skins and currency known as ‘Platinum' to buy them.

Gearbox will be selling Platinum in packs, much like how premium currency works in many mobile games.

BB-SCreen-2

Here is the price list for Platinum:

  • $1.99 for 230 Platinum
  • $4.99 for 700 Platinum
  • $9.99 for 1625 Platinum
  • $19.99 for 3500 Platinum
  • $49.99 for 9300 Platinum

A taunt costs 230 Platinum while a skin will cost 430, so you'll need to spend at least $4 to get a skin. This money will be used to fund more of Battleborn's free updates, like the five new free heroes, new maps, gamemodes and other updates.

These microtransactions may expand to include things like XP boosts, new loadout slots or bank spaces in the future.

KitGuru Says: Battleborn wasn't a bad game but going up against Overwatch was clearly a bad idea and has had a negative impact on sales overall. Are any of you still playing Battleborn? How do you feel about microtransactions coming to the game?

The post Battleborn is getting cosmetic microtransactions this week first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-is-getting-cosmetic-microtransactions-this-week/feed/ 0
Battleborn PC Game Analysis https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-pc-game-analysis/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-pc-game-analysis/#comments Fri, 13 May 2016 14:31:23 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=292480 Battleborn came out earlier this month and while its launch may have been overshadowed by the Overwatch open beta, this might not be a game you want to let fall by the wayside. Gearbox's ‘hero shooter' is quite different from the likes of Overwatch and Team Fortress in a number of ways, with some unique game modes, …

The post Battleborn PC Game Analysis first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Battleborn came out earlier this month and while its launch may have been overshadowed by the Overwatch open beta, this might not be a game you want to let fall by the wayside. Gearbox's ‘hero shooter' is quite different from the likes of Overwatch and Team Fortress in a number of ways, with some unique game modes, vibrant characters and a campaign mode but how does it hold up on the PC specifically? Let's find out!

Battleborn Graphics 1 Battleborn Graphics 2

Click images to enlarge. 

Battleborn comes with your basic set of graphics options, with all of the appropriate resolution, window mode and V-sync options. In keeping with the Borderlands games, Gearbox has once again implemented PhysX with this title and the overall graphical style is similar. The only thing I did find a tad disappointing is the lack of anti-aliasing options, I would prefer to have MSAA over FXAA but on the plus side, FXAA doesn't hit performance as hard.

BB SCreen1 BB SCreen 4

BB SCreen 3 BB SCreen 2

Battleborn isn't the most mind-blowing game graphically but it does have a rarely used, comic-bookish art-style similar to what you will find in the Borderlands series. Textures aren't perfect but I noticed very little aliasing despite being limited to just FXAA and everything is bright and colourful, which is a nice change of pace from the usual grim scenery we see in games.

For our testing today, we will be running Battleborn on a system using an Intel Core i7 6700K, 16GB of RAM, an Asus Maximus VII Hero motherboard and a 1TB Samsung Evo SSD. For graphics cards, we will be benching a reference GTX 980Ti, a GTX 970, an R9 Fury X, an R9 390x and a R9 290.

980Ti GPU Z 970 GPU Z R9 Furyx GPU Z R9 390x GPU Z R9 290 GPU Z

For Nvidia, we are using driver version 365.19, which is the latest Game Ready driver release at the time of writing. For AMD we are using driver version 16.5.2, which was released with optimizations for Battleborn and Doom. None of our cards are overclocked for this test.

Since Battleborn doesn't have its own in-built performance testing tool, I chose to benchmark an early section from the mission titled ‘The Algorithm' as it is an early mission and easy to repeat to ensure a fair test across cards. In my run, I set off plenty of explosions and tried to get as many enemies on the screen as possible to create a demanding scenario.

Battleborn 1080p

Battleborn 1440p

Battleborn 4K

Battleborn is designed to be an accessible game that can run well on a wide-range of hardware and as you can see from our results, Gearbox has definitely achieved that. Every card on the list is able to hold its own, even at 1440p and 4K, which is always great to see but not too surprising given that we are dealing with the aged Unreal 3 Engine.

This game does make use of PhysX, which can't be turned off in the graphics options menu. However, I did go back and re-test the AMD GPUs to check if having PhysX set to low would make any difference- long story short, it didn't. So feel free to whack all of the options as high as they will go.

Battleborn runs great but its missions do get slightly repetitive. A lot of the campaign boils down to shooting hordes of enemies and taking down a huge bullet-spongy boss every so often. However, the huge range of 25 hero characters to choose from helps keep things fun and changes up the gameplay a bit.

The multiplayer is where this game really sets itself apart with its own unique game modes. There are three modes available at launch, the first of which is ‘Point Capture', where you capture enemy points on the map while protecting your own from invasion.

The second is mode is called ‘Incursion', which plays out similarly to a tower-defence game, as you try to stop constantly spawning enemy sentries and minions from pushing through and taking over your base. You can build turrets and shield generators to slow them down but you also need to help your own sentries break into the enemy team base.

The third mode is called ‘Meltdown', which is a race against time as two teams compete to sacrifice the most minions to ‘Magnus' a god in the Battleborn world that wants to destroy whoever loses. This mode also has points where you can build turrets and shield generators to give your team a boost and bolster defences.

Similarly to games like Dota 2, you start each multiplayer match with your hero at level 1, you then need to kill minions and other players (depending on the game mode) to rank up and select new skills.

The game itself is fun if you still enjoy the Borderlands humour and art-style. The campaign missions are entertaining but multiplayer matches can take a while to find/join and it does feel like the type of game that would be better played with a friend or two, rather than solo. One final thing that may concern people is that even in private solo missions, you do need to be connected to the internet as the saves are all kept server-side.

KitGuru Says: Battleborn has been overshadowed a bit by Overwatch this month despite the fact that the two games are so very different. Gearbox's first-person shooter has some unique elements to it and it should run perfectly fine on most systems, if you are in need of a new game to play with friends, then this is worth giving a shot.

The post Battleborn PC Game Analysis first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/battleborn-pc-game-analysis/feed/ 2
Battleborn is Gearbox’s take on the MOBA https://www.kitguru.net/professional/development/jon-martindale/battleborn-is-gearboxs-take-on-the-moba/ https://www.kitguru.net/professional/development/jon-martindale/battleborn-is-gearboxs-take-on-the-moba/#respond Wed, 09 Jul 2014 07:27:13 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=202177 Oh boy, it's another Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game guys, this time from Gearbox. I know, I know, you might be thinking that that market is getting as crowded as the open world survival sim and you may be right, but Gearbox is trying something a little different at least. While we don't know all …

The post Battleborn is Gearbox’s take on the MOBA first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Oh boy, it's another Multiplayer Online Battle Arena game guys, this time from Gearbox. I know, I know, you might be thinking that that market is getting as crowded as the open world survival sim and you may be right, but Gearbox is trying something a little different at least.

While we don't know all the details yet, Battleborn mixes things up in a few key ways. For starters, it's a first person title, putting players on the same level as Smite in terms of perspective, though limiting it even more so you won't actually see the character you're playing as. This might make the rather unique heroes harder to differentiate, if, as Game Informer explains, we didn't know that each hero plays very differently and feels so.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvXi09v8ohA']

Drawing on Borderlands' addictive RPG and looting mechanics, Gearbox seems to be pushing the cooperative element as much as the competitive one, which ties in the story about a galaxy destroying, robotic parasite which you have to gun down. You can see some of that in the non-gameplay debut trailer.

battleborn
Hey look, TF2's heavy is in it. Sort of.

CEO Randy Pitchford, had this to say about the game: “Battleborn is: FPS; hobby-grade coop campaign; genre-blended, multi-mode competitive e-sports; meta-growth, choice + epic Battleborn Heroes!” I’m sure the developer’s PR folk are going to have a blast trying to sum it up in press releases.”

That's about all we know about Battleborn for now, but expect more details to come out when this month's issue of Game Informer lands.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's pretty and all, but I don't know if the world really needs another MOBA. LoL and DotA have the hardcore crowd tied up, then there's Heroes of Newerth in the background somewhere, Infinite Crisis, the new Dead Island: Epidemic, Smite and oh so many others. I think it's pretty saturated at this point. 

The post Battleborn is Gearbox’s take on the MOBA first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/professional/development/jon-martindale/battleborn-is-gearboxs-take-on-the-moba/feed/ 0