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3D Realms withdraws lawsuit against Gearbox
3D Realms has withdrawn its lawsuit against Gearbox. Filed in June, the lawsuit alleged that Gearbox blocked an independent audit to document royalties earned from Duke Nukem Forever. The original Duke Nukem developer sought $2 million in the lawsuit, but has now dropped the case entirely. In a statement to the media, 3D Realms CEO Scott Miller said, "After reviewing evidence regarding our business affairs, and without any money exchanging hands, we have satisfactorily resolved any and all differences that we perceived against Gearbox." Miller also offered "genuine apologies" to Gearbox CEO and President Randy Pitchford "for any damage that our lawsuit may have caused to the relationship."
Homeworld: Shipbreakers drops free-to-play business model
Homeworld: Shipbreakers has abandoned its free-to-play business model in favor of a "proper commercial release," tweeted Gearbox president Randy Pitchford. At PAX, Pitchford announced that Gearbox software would be lending the Homeworld brand to what was then titled Hardware: Shipbreakers. Until that time the game had been in development as an independent production by many of the people who worked on the original Homeworld series, but alongside lending the Homeworld name Gearbox also revealed plans to help fund the game's development. This sudden influx of cash presumably makes relying on a free-to-play business model an unattractive option. Homeworld: Shipbreakers is currently planned to make its PC debut at some point in 2014.
Tiny Tina goes to her happy place in Borderlands short
Tiny Tina, stuck in a precarious position, doesn't sulk. She rides that reading rainbow and lets her imagination (and undiagnosed psychosis) get her out of a particularly prickly situation. Although not tied to any particular promotion, this Borderlands 2 short comes shortly after the game's GOTY announcement.
Borderlands 2 GOTY Edition stuffed with DLC, out October
Gearbox unveiled the Game of the Year edition of Borderlands 2 today, which features all the major content released for the 2012 wasteland wonder so far, including the four Season Pass expansions, the two bonus characters, and a whole ton of other loot. It's priced $60, and hits North America on October 8, and internationally October 11. GOTY editions can be hit-and-miss, but much like the game itself, Gearbox has stuffed Borderlands 2's bundle with content a-plenty. In addition to the game, you'll get the four DLC expansions; that's Captain Scarlett and her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. They were bundled together for $30 in the season pass, so that's a pretty good start. The GOTY edition also features the pre-order-tied Premiere Club content, including first bonus character Gaige, as well as second addition Krieg. Also in there is the formerly GameStop-exclusive Creature Slaughter Dome, as well as the heads and skins from the Collector's Edition, and the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 1, which raises the level cap and also adds a few other assorted add-ons.
Borderlands 2 finds new loot on PS Vita [Update: Shipping in 2014]
Update: A post on the 2K Games blog offers some more details about the PS Vita port: It's coming in 2014 and the lead developer is Iron Galaxy Studios, the outfit who launched Divekick this week. Sony announced during its Gamescom keynote that Borderlands 2, Gearbox's shooter RPG hybrid released last year, is coming to the PS Vita. No timeframe for the Vita port was announced.
Aliens: Colonial Marines DLC concludes with 'Stasis Interrupted'
The final Aliens: Colonial Marines DLC, "Stasis Interrupted," is available on Xbox Live, PSN and Steam today. This single-player add-on, which is free for Season Pass holders and $10 for everyone else, follows three different characters through an interlocking story, ultimately shedding light on what went down with Corporal Dwayne Hicks between Aliens and Alien 3. Despite being panned by critics, Aliens: Colonial Marines wasn't a total dud for publisher Sega: As of May, 1.31 million copies of the first-person shooter have been shipped out into the wild. A Wii U version was also in the works before being canned.
Gearbox remaking Homeworld 1 and 2 for Windows
Gearbox announced plans at PAX Australia to warp drive HD remakes of Homeworld 1 and 2 to Windows this year, following their recent acquisition of the franchise from THQ for $1.35 million. Direct ports of the original games will also be made available on unspecified digital distribution platforms for Windows. Gearbox Software CCO Brian Martel expressed his fondness for the series in April after the purchase, stating his intent to make them "accessible on today's leading digital platforms" in a statement released by Gearbox. Relic Games, creator of the Homeworld franchise, was sold to SEGA during the liquidation of THQ's assets and is currently working on Company of Heroes 2. Part of the Homeworld development team has since left the mother ship to begin work on a more grounded RTS, Hardware: Shipbreakers.
Borderlands 2 DLC and bumped level cap coming this fall
Borderlands 2 will get a new DLC pack this fall, Gearbox announced at PAX Australia. The Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack 2 will include the Digistruct Peak Challenge map and 11 levels. It also comes with a bumped level cap of 72, all for about $5. According to OXM, studio head Randy Pitchford said "two or three" additional "Headhunter Packs" for Borderlands 2 are also on the way, starting with T.K. Baha's Bloody Harvest, which sees the return of Borderlands character T.K. Baha, if the title didn't indicate as much. None of said DLC is included in the Season Pass, but is expected to launch by Halloween.
More Borderlands 2 DLC on the way, Pitchford says
In a recent episode of the Nerdist podcast, Gearbox head Randy Pitchford said the studio isn't calling it quits on Borderlands 2 DLC. "We are going to do more, we are going to do some other things. I don't have details exactly of it yet cause we're not ready to announce what the other things are," Pitchford said around the one hour, nine-minute mark in the show. Gearbox has "more stuff in the hopper that we're planning and getting pretty excited about. So if you are a Borderlands 2 fan, you don't have to be afraid that that's the end of it." The latest DLC campaign for Borderlands 2, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, is the fourth and final component of the Borderlands 2 season pass. It places the original Vault Hunters from Borderlands in a tabletop role-playing session helmed by brash youth Tiny Tina.
Borderlands 2 'Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep' DLC review: Roll for initiative, suckas
Borderlands 2's Tiny Tina has got some bizarre quirks and qualities a vocal few openly denounce, but she's memorable in a way so few women in games are. All that, and she's still a little girl. The frenetic little firecracker is a bundle of energy, so it makes perfect sense that she should host a game of Bunkers & Badasses, an obvious parody of Dungeons & Dragons. In "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep," your go-to Vault Hunter rolls for initiative with Lilith, Brick, and Mordecai as part of the very first play session ever sanctioned. The final piece of Borderlands 2 DLC serves up a hilarious send-up of nerd culture sprinkled with nods to D&D, marinated in Tiny Tina's peculiar blend of humor. Fast-traveling to the Unassuming Docks of Little Importance, we find our heroes embarking on their first role-playing adventure while a certain "Hyperion informant" is roughed up downstairs. After a brief interlude, the stage is set (by Bunker Master Tina of course) at Flamerock Refuse – a "nice place until the Handsome Sorcerer messed it up." The rainbow etched across the sky in this land of make-believe you're suddenly transported to doesn't exactly reflect an air of desolation, so Tina rectifies her mistake by instantly changing the scenery to something more eerie and hopeless, music included. It's immediately obvious this scenario is a meta look at playing dungeon master and the way a D&D narrative can be altered so hastily. From then on, you're exploring the entire imaginary landscape on Tina's terms, which results in some giggle-worthy location names and terrain altering, as well as a bundle of surprises.%Gallery-189391%
Borderlands 2 offers first 5 minutes of Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep
2K Games uploaded the first five minutes of the upcoming Borderlands 2 season pass DLC, Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep. The final DLC campaign hits Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on June 25 – non-season pass holders can snag this adventure for 800 MSP ($10).
Borderlands 2 'Krieg' short is the shiniest meat bicycle
We feel for Krieg, the recently introduced sixth vault hunter in Borderlands 2. His calm inner voice fights to be heard, while his psychotic outer voice screams things like "I'm the conductor of the poop train!" This short has its funny moments, but it's also quite sad. While Krieg's already available, Borderlands 2 is due another piece of DLC in the form of Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep. That arrives on June 25 for 800 MSP/$10.
Borderlands 2: At the table with Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep
"What's initiative?" asks Brick, the hulking bruiser from the original Borderlands. He's seated with Mordecai, Lilith and Tina, all hunched over a table-top roleplaying game – not unlike Dungeons & Dragons – called Bunkers and Badasses. As the tabletop game gets underway, players are thrust into "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep," the latest DLC campaign for Borderlands 2. %Gallery-189391%
PSA: Borderlands 2's playable Krieg the Psycho available today
Borderlands 2's sixth vault hunter, Krieg the Psycho Bandit, is now available across Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for $10. The latest playable character is not part of the Borderlands 2 Season Pass, so don't go thinking grabbing that will net the psycho. Gearbox covered Krieg's skill tree during PAX East, which features more melee and fire upgrades. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick mentioned during a recent investor call Borderlands 2 has shipped over 6 million units and "remains on track to become the highest selling release in the history of 2K."
Krieg the Psycho Bandit joins Borderlands 2 on May 14
Borderlands 2 will add its sixth Vault Hunter, Krieg the Psycho Bandit, to its ranks on May 14. The date for the DLC was announced in a tweet posted earlier today. Krieg is the second DLC character added to Borderlands 2, joining Gaige the Mechromancer. Gearbox went into more detail about Krieg's skill trees back at PAX East, revealing him to be a more melee-focused character with fire-based skills.
Next Borderlands 2 DLC is 'Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep,' coming June 25
Coming DLC for Borderlands 2 will be called "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep." It will launch on June 25 as the fourth pack included in the game's Season Pass, or for $10 (800 MSP) standalone, Gearbox confirmed to Joystiq. The name of the fourth DLC pack was leaked today in a now-deleted tweet from Gearbox writer Anthony Burch, a screen of which was saved by Stealthy Box. Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep features Tiny Tina herself as the host of a board game.
Homeworld intellectual property purchased by Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software, best known for the Borderlands series, has purchased the rights to the Homeworld intellectual property during the recent THQ back catalog auction round.Gearbox Chief Creative Officer Brian Martel has "great love and respect for Relic's brilliant, fun and innovative game and personally spearheaded the acquisition," according to a studio statement.The company's subspace communication continues: "Brian intends as first priority to direct Gearbox's interest to preserve and assemble the purest form of the original acclaimed and beloved games, Homeworld and Homeworld 2, with the intent of making them accessible on today's leading digital platforms."The Homeworld series was originally developed by Relic Entertainment, which was purchased by Sega during a previous round of the THQ bankruptcy auctions.It is unclear at this time if Sega bid on Homeworld. We do know that Galactic Civilization developer and Sins of a Solar Empire publisher Stardock was in the running. CEO Brad Wardell tweeted us, "I'm surprised. I was wondering who had outbid us. It'll be interesting to see what they do with it. As long as I get [Homeworld 3]!"
Aliens: Colonial Marines for Wii U 'no longer in development'
The Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines is game overed, man."Sega can confirm that the Wii U SKU of Aliens: Colonial Marines is no longer in development," a company representative has informed Joystiq.Discomfort over the game's heartbeat rose this week after the title missed its first quarter launch window and publisher Sega was unable to confirm an updated status. Aliens: Colonial Marines currently stands as one of the worst-reviewed games of the year.
Borderlands 2 straps in for a big 'ol Mac update today
Borderlands 2 secured a hefty update on Mac today, adding leaderboards, achievements and multiplayer co-op, Mac-to-Mac style. Let's keep it in the family, guys.The update brings five DLC packs available via in-app purchases, including Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt, Captain Scarlett and her Pirate's Booty, Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage and the Mechromancer, a fifth playable vault hunter. PC and Xbox 360 players got the Mechromancer in October 2012, with PS3 not far behind.Borderlands 2 is on sale for half off, at $30, for a limited time on the Mac App Store.
Aliens: Colonial Marines for Wii U misses launch window, Sega declines comment
The Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines missed its first quarter launch window at the designated retail rendezvous point and its fate is currently in question. Gamespot asked Sega yesterday if there was a new debut date for the year's highest profile disaster (you're welcome, SimCity) for the Nintendo console and the publisher responded, "Still no comment on ACM, sorry!"Gamespot notes this is the third time the publisher has refused a status update and Demiurge, the developer tasked with the Wii U version, isn't talking. Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software (which put its name on the box for the other console versions), was also unsure last month if the Wii U version was coming out, noting it was Sega's decision.
