Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Announced

2K Games has announced Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, an upcoming first-person shooter video game currently being co-developed by Gearbox Software and 2K Australia.

The game is “set between Borderlands and Borderlands 2, you’ll play as four new characters classes fighting alongside Handsome Jack, witnessing his transformation into the ruthless tyrant you loved to hate in Borderlands 2, and assisting with the rise of the Hyperion Corporation.

The signature shoot ‘n’ loot gameplay of the Borderlands series expands with the addition of low-gravity and oxygen-powered jetpack combat, the icy ‘Cryo’ elemental damage type, the deadly laser weapon class, and new vehicles to help you explore the lunar landscape.”

The game features four new playable characters:

• Athena, the Gladiator: A rogue assassin of the Atlas Corporation first introduced in the DLC campaign The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC campaign from the first game. Her primary skill is a temporary shield which can absorb damage; her skill tree will add the ability to use the shield itself as a throwable weapon, and even allow it to absorb elemental damage which can in turn, be reflected back at enemies..
• Wilhelm, the Enforcer: Wilhelm was previously seen in Borderlands 2 as one of the first deadly bosses in the game.
• Nisha, the Lawbringer: The sheriff of Lynchwood from Borderlands 2, Nisha will be dealing out her own brand of justice, which we’ll discuss further in the coming months.
• Claptrap, the Fragtrap: First encountered at the beginning of the first Borderlands and the last surviving Claptrap unit during Borderlands 2. He appeared briefly in the demo with his upgraded Fragtrap combat abilities.

The game won’t be available for next gen consoles, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford explains:  “There are fewer Xbox Ones and PlayStation 4s than we sold copies of Borderlands 2.

I don’t think I would have to stretch far to suggest that there’s probably a lot of demand for more Borderlands. If you imagine where that demand lives, it lives on the Xbox 360, PS3 and on PC. We don’t know to what extent it’ll live on the next-gen.

I imagine over time – you know, maybe by the time we get to third or fourth Christmas – there will be enough of an install base. I mean currently, between PS3 and Xbox 360, there’s over 150 million installed units worldwide.”

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is expected to be released for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late-2014.

Source: 2K.