Gearbox explains: This is what it feels like to follow in the footsteps of Tales from the Borderlands

Gearbox did not take on an easy task with the sequel to Tales from the Borderlands – after all, the predecessor to New Tales from the Borderlands was very popular. Part of the reason for that was certainly the storytelling and humor that captured the world of Borderlands and rendered it from the perspective of ordinary Pandora residents.

Lin Joyce, Head of Writing at Gearbox Software, took the time to answer a few questions about New Tales from the Borderlands. The adventure is not a pure sequel, at least there are new characters who experience a new adventure on another planet. In contrast to Tales from the Boderlands, all episodes will be released at the same time this time. On October 21, 2022, the time has already come. Then the sequel will appear in spirit for PC, Xbox, PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch.

With New Tales from the Borderlands, why did you decide to release all episodes at once?

Lin Joyce: Releasing all episodes at once is another way to give players choice. You can choose to play through the episodes quickly or take your time. You can even play them in reverse order if you wish.

How difficult was it for you to follow in the footsteps of popular characters from part one with new characters?

Lin Joyce: The cast of characters in Tales from the Borderlands is phenomenal. I’m a huge fan of the game, but we decided early on that New Tales from the Borderlands should expand the universe, and that brought with it new characters that would offer new insights and perspectives.

Do you feel pressured by the many comparisons to Tales from the Borderlands, or worried that the title won’t stand on its own?

Lin Joyce: Of course we expected the comparisons, but they didn’t deter us. The development team working on New Tales from the Borderlands is made up of incredible talent with years of experience. If there was pressure, it wasn’t from outside factors or worry about what was. As a team, we wanted to seize the opportunity to innovate and continue to push the franchise forward.

There should be five endings in total. How did you make players want to pick up New Tales from the Borderlands a second, third, fourth, fifth time to experience a new ending? And is each ending equally worthwhile?

Lin Joyce: We designed the game to be replayable in a number of ways. You can play the episodes in any order. There is no right or wrong ending. If you don’t play them in the right order, the system will randomize the choices from the previous episodes. This is a great way to jump in with the cards already dealt and see how other decisions change the story. However, the story itself should inspire replay. With three playable protagonists, there is depth not only in the way players can play each role individually, but also in the way the three work together as a team.

How do you approach a story that doesn’t have one fixed ending, but multiple ones?

Lin Joyce: Careful. Honestly, by establishing what the story is and where it ends early in the process. Every episode needs an arc, but the series needs an arc too. So let’s start there. Once you have that baseline, you start abstracting and complicating it. This is where diversity and branching come into play. Furthermore, like any other game, we have to be aware of the time and the scope. And that’s what keeps us all sane. Otherwise we would still be imagining alternative routes into infinite diversity.

What stories and storytelling styles inspired you in developing New Tales from the Borderlands?

Lin Joyce: The list of stories that have inspired us is perhaps too long to list them all. In terms of styles, there are different types of comedy. Octavio, for example, tends toward anecdotal comedy, while Fran offers more smutty, ie lewd jokes. But the game also draws on sci-fi, cyberpunk, suspense thrillers and more – Star Wars would be an example. In fact, there are some notable homages throughout the game that I don’t want to spoil here.

I’m a huge fan of the Borderlands shooters. Any hope of seeing some of the familiar faces from the main installments or the recent Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands?

Lin Joye: Yes! New Tales expands the Borderlands universe, but not so much that we don’t see some familiar faces along the way.