‘Battleborn’ Gets ‘Borderlands’ Style E3 Trailer, Plenty Of Co-Op And Other Details

Battleborn continues to be the main focus of Gearbox Software, the developer behind the Borderlands series. The stylish multiplayer shooter for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC received a new trailer Thursday that will remind viewers of that other series, but the main draw should be the details on how the story campaign and multiplayer will work along with the release date.

A winter 2015 release for Battleborn was announced by 2K Games and Gearbox Software, plopping it down in the middle of the hot holiday shopping season. With so many other multiplayer shooters coming out later this year, how does Gearbox’s game distinguish itself? It does so with a cast of 25 unique characters while supporting plenty of co-op play and a MOBA-like multiplayer.

The story mode in Battleborn can be played alone or with a group of up to five players. It even supports split-screen play locally and online. That means you and a buddy can be playing on the same TV with another pair of friends playing on a different TV. The fifth guy could have a TV to himself. Update: A 2K Games representative confirmed with me that multiplayer supports two-player split-screen as well.

Gearbox states that the story mode is “modular,” which allows players to choose which mission to take on next. Each mission also has randomized loot to encourage players to come back for a chance to earn something better.

From the creators of Borderlands comes #Battleborn, a new first-person shooter For Every Kind Of Badass. http://t.co/OR1KkrZyS2

— Battleborn (@battleborn) June 4, 2015

Meanwhile, the multiplayer mode comes with three different 5-vs-5 game types. “Devastation” is your classic control point match while “Incursion” and “Meltdown” have MOBA-elements thanks to the inclusion of AI-controlled minions.

• Incursion: Teams of heroes defend their base from waves of AI-controlled minions while working together, alongside their own minions, to destroy their opponents’ base.
• Devastation: Teams of heroes face off in a fast-paced death match and must capture and hold objectives on the map to win.
• Meltdown: Teams of heroes protect their minions as they march to their death at the center of the map. Points are scored for minions who throw themselves into the incinerator, and the team with the most points wins.

Like Borderlands, Battleborn has RPG elements as well with a persistent progression system. Players can earn experience points in the story or multiplayer modes to bump up individual Character Ranks as well as their own overall Command Rank. Both ranks are explained as follows.

• Character Rank: Each hero can permanently rank up from 1 to 10 outside of missions and matches, allowing players to swap out augments in their helix skill tree, as well as unlock skins.
• Command Rank: Players can rank-up their own player profile, unlocking badges and titles to impress friends, and loot that can be used to benefit any hero the player chooses to command.

The story behind Battleborn is that the Solus system has the universe’s only surviving star after the rest of the stars have gone dark at the hands of an unknown enemy. Factions from all across the universe swarm to the system to battle for survival. Now, the mysterious enemy has set his eyes on Solus, and the most powerful heroes of each faction must form an unlikely alliance to stop him.

[Images via Battleborn]