I enjoy Battleborn, I do. The moment I heard the release date, I wept. I knew the game was going to get pummeled, dropped on its noggin’, and the sales were going to suck. What happened? They went toe-to-toe with Blizzard. Just look at Steam, look at the figures. Battleborn has since release sold about 80,000 units, Overwatch has over 10 million players right now. That’s not even a fight. That’s like Andre the Giant fighting a quadriplegic, like Mike Tyson doing battle with a bird that can’t fly. However, I did read today on Eurogamer Take-Two and Gearbox are not giving up. They’re still trying to market it and gain a bigger audience. I think the Humble Bundle might not be a bad way to do just that. Sure, it’s a lot less money at the start, but people who are hooked may buy up that currency, which they are still getting people to spend on. It’s important to look at the positives. Reviews of the game? Solid, positive. It’s not a bad game. Pride, pride was the issue here.
They went to box with God, and their arms were far too short for it. There are titans in the industry, and when they make a game, you just have to let them have their moment. Let them bask in their sales for the first month or so. Sure, Gearbox are probably too prideful to do that, but I bet it’s a lesson learned! I am willing to bet that if they had waited a month or two, it would have done a lot better. Their advertising machine was incredible! It was even on WWE Raw, which I watch pretty religiously. They’re working hard to keep the current people excited for the game, still dropping characters, double exp events, and they have a plan. Will it work? I think if they stick to it, and find something to make them stand out more from the current array of shooters, I think it will help. Battleborn has the one thing I wanted, and that’s a story mode. Maybe a second season of that? They treat the stages like episodes of a series, they should work on that theme some more. Tuck that pride away in a box, and realize that while Gearbox is a terrific company, there are a few giants you should just stand on the shoulders of, and give them their time in the sun.
What do you think they could/should have done? Let me know!
