Questions and rant about Post launch support, DLC, microtransactions, and more

Battleborn Battleborn General Discussion
#1

So I have a few queries related to Battleborn, mostly about post release support, and monetisation related things.
I know we are all here to support Battleborn, and that we all want it to succeed, and so do I but I have some questions and concerns I want to voice and discuss.

Firstly, I’m grateful that Gearbox is giving us so much free content. Free content is hard to do, and if your company isn’t Valve, then it comes at quite a cost. So I’m grateful that Gearbox will give us free content to help keep the game going post launch.

But then what are the post launch plans? They say 5 characters, 5 Story missions, and some skins, alongside maps and a few gamemodes? I would like to know how long Gearbox plan to support Battleborn. I have this large worry that this all won’t be enough, and people will forget about this game a mere month or two post release, and that though frightens me. Will there be large events like TF2, CS:GO, DOTA, and Dirty Bomb? Will there be constant bug fixing and balancing? (I sure hope so, for technical reasons), and will there be constant developing of lore, so that PvE remains relevant, even a year after release?
I’d hate to look at Battleborn in a year, and see a game that’s multiplayer is only played by a handful of hardcores, and a story that was completed and forgotten a month after release.
Looking at Gearboxes other games, they were quite long and crafted experiences, and I am scared that Batlleborn won’t be up to quite the same standard. Is this a result of the lack of SP content available on Youtube? Probably. But still, I remain more frightened than skeptical.

Then comes monetisation. What’s worse than a game that is left by everyone a year after a release for being shallow and forgettable? A game that is left by everyone a year after release for being a cashgrab, or a blatant corporate driven greed machine. Obviously, Payday 2. Gearbox in the past have been alright with DLC. They do it all the time, that’s obvious, but the value for money is good I suppose. This game could have microtransactions, and DLC could be expanded past those 5 mission packs. Will this happen? Will Gearbox go cash grab? I love Gearbox’s games, but I have never loved DLC, and I’m sure noone really does, so can Gearbox do it right, or a least not that bad?

And lore, man do I love lore. It’s quite nice when the two are intertwined in clever ways, that doesn’t necessarily force lore onto you, or else you miss out on the universe. BL2 did have quite a few throwbacks, clever, but isolating in terms of the audience that didn’t experience BL1. I think TF2 has done an excellent job, putting lore aside in the form of comics, and having it be extremely optional. It’s a great read, and very interesting, and I hope Battleborn can achieve this in a similar way. That being said, what does Gearbox want to do with the Battleborn universe? Is it, as some have theorised, in the same universe as Borderlands? Will there be a Battleborn 2? Will the story just end at the end of the campaign, and be built sideways afterwards with DLC packs? I hope not. Will the lore be worked on post launch as well, or has that been well and truly wrapped up?

And lastly, what do you guys think of the announcement of a Season Pass before release? I gotta say it makes me a bit sad. Not just for 2K and Gearbox, but mostly the industry as a whole, planning content for extra money before a game is even available retail.

All in all, there is my rant, with questions in there. I hope Gearbox doesn’t screw up, and as a result, I hope the game does take off. I wish for the success of Battleborn, and as a result, we see a potential new series of games and lore, rather than just a one hit wonder… if it even is a wonder.

Thanks for reading, tell me your thoughts, do you share my worry, or do you think I’m being dumb? I hope you don’t think that.

#2

The five packs that will be included will have Story Operations, I believe they’re called. They kinda sound like the Headhunter packs from Borderlands 2, adding to the story. Apparently every character will have some of their backstory explored in each one. Trust me I’m wanting a ton of lore from this series, and more is better for me. Lucky for us the five additional BattleBorn will be completely free

#3

Did you see the other Microtransactions thread?
EDIT:

#4

Yea I did, thanks for pointing it out anyway. There is a little bit of issue, in that I can’t say I know much about that particular website and their reputation and credibility, and also I am concerned Gearbox may change their mind later on, for the sake of money. I can’t help but worry, It’s just what I do.

EDIT: It also is a little ironic and sad that the sentence that comes right after the “There will be no micro transactions for characters” says it’s nice not to have a pitch for a Season Pass before the game is even out. And then of course, we got a pitch for a Season pass and the game… isn’t even out.

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#5

Well with GBX games I have played, I haven’t seen that happen yet…

#6

RIP Payday 2. I never liked that game, but I feel sorry for the diehard fans who basically got their ■■■■ shoved in.

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#7

This should answer all of your questions. The only microtransactions I can see are for skin customizations, there will not be any pay to win type of transactions.

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#8

Look at Borderlands then… :wink:

#9

I think the support for a game almost always goes hand in hand with its success.

If many people play it there is a chance to sell many things in the future, if the developer keeps the players entertained, steady income is nice so the patches and events will flow.

If there are not many players and the chances to make money with new packs are low, more and more developers will get new projects that pay the bills and the updates come in slower intervals.

Its like this for every game I know, except EVE online.

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#10

There is no paid content that gives an advantage, so it’s not a cashgrab.

About the dlc plans:
As with all games, the release date probably doesn’t allow for all content that the devs dreamed of to be realized in time. The deadline was already pushed back 3 months. “But then why sell it instead of giving it away for free?”. There will be free additional content after the release of the game. Free updates are free updates, and dlc are dlc. If the dlc content is already finished at release, your concerns are justified. From what I’ve seen, it rather looked like the promise to produce more content, and not like held back content. Obviously the later after a game’s release, the more does the producing company have to rely on dlc content to justify continueing support.

Lore:
Gearbox is known for fleshed out characters and a lot of questionable humor, so I’d expect that from Battleborn too. Have you played the multiplayer? The Heroes constantly make lore-references. Is that bad? No, it’s a significant part of the product. People who skip the story don’t have any disadvantages, but they can’t blame anyone but themselves for missing out on something that they already have on their hard drive and refuse to play.

Success:
It’s a gamble. Noone knows how it’ll work it, but everyone here hopes for a growing and vibrant community. Like with any new game.

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#11

Like @Cuxman said, Battleborn will likely be supported for as long as its success dictates. As long as it is profitable to support it due to ongoing box sales and paid content sales like skins, there is no reason for Gearbox or 2K to stop supporting it.

Keep in mind the game’s design is quite modular. There are heroes, missions, multiplayer modes, multiplayer maps, skins, etc. All of those things can be added to in almost complete isolation from the others in perpetuity, so it is not like there is an end in sight where nothing more can be done. Similar to games like League of Legends, Battleborn could be fully supported with patches and content for years.

Of course, if the game is a failure or a middling success, it may not be supported for much longer than the promised free and season pass content. They have no obligation to support a game that is not making money, after all, but given how well Gearbox supported Borderlands and Borderlands 2 with fantastic DLC that actually was fun, interesting, and worth the price of admission, I am not worried.

#12

Proof that no matter what you do, someone somewhere will hate you for it.

What do you want guy, a 10-year plan? Gearbox has been more than forthcoming with this information, and they didn’t even owe us that much. Maybe the reason GBX hasn’t laid it out for you point-by-point and week-by-week is because they don’t have details on DLC. They just finished the game for Christ’s sake! So why don’t you take a deep breath and actually play the game before going off on another rant.

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#13

You lack the understanding of how the internet works :smile:

#14

They are still supporting bl2 and TPS, I don’t have worries about them continuing support for Battleborn for a long time. From everything Gearbox has said they believe that Battleborn could overtake Borderlands as the game Gearbox is known for making. That won’t come without a lot of long term support. Then they have shift for constant balance tweaks for that kind of support.

I see no reason to fear long term support because so far gearbox has done really well with this with previous games.

#15

I would imagine how long Battleborn is supported with future content depends on how well the game does financially…

As a fan the best thing you can do if you buy>and like the game is to promote it a bit. Word of mouth to friends, stream and review through sites like Metacritic will likely help because you best believe…the kids who dispise the game either because “Its not BL3” or Overwatch will be busssy on that Metacritic slamming a game they havent played.

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#16

Well Homeworld (if anyone has heard of it) already got more updates because of GBX in the first few months than the original and the second one did for all the time the company existed.

#17

They did not release any news about the Season Pass until AFTER they had stated Battleborn was gold and sent out for production.

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#18

I tried to phrase my concerns as nicely as I could, and of course, someone had to reply negatively. Thanks to everyone else in this thread for not being reincarN8ed and giving some good feedback.

#19

As for all the other responses, thanks, I will go ahead and buy the season pass, mostly because I have a few discount codes I can put to good use.
As much as I love Gearbox (second favourite developer) it still is an industry where anything can happen. Mods can get monetized, any old game can make it’s way onto Steam, and cop shooting game can get microtransactions 2 years after the devs said it wouldn’t.

Now that you all mention it, it would be very logical for Gearbox to do the whole “support as long as profitable” style, but to be fair, there hasn’t been a lot of marketing for this game, especially relative to Overwatch.

However, half a day after I write my concerns, the youtube Battleborn challenge releases a lore comic. I recommend everyone who wasn’t already aware check it out. It isn’t amazing, groundbreaking stuff, but it does answer most of my lore questions. It leaves so many things unanswered, it’s great, and shows that Gearbox have put a lot of thought into the lore.
Thanks for the answers so far, keep it coming!

#20

Might be because there are already several threads like this. And the answers never change.
None of us have insider knowledge on what Gearbox is planning, so assuming you already looked for info yourself, we know the same stuff. And the rest is unneccesary speculation. Either it’ll flop or not. Do you want us to help with a purchase-decision? Lately all new info has convinced me completely, so I’ll buy the game for sure. What you do is your thing.

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