New Tales From The Borderlands Announced, Releasing This October

Developer Gearbox Software and publisher 2K revealed that the spiritual successor to Telltale’s Tales from the Borderlands is called New Tales from the Borderlands and, it’s out this October. 

The game will launch on the 21st of October 2022 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S (PS5), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC via Steam or Epic Games Store. The official trailer of Tales from the Borderlands reveals the setting and cast. This trailer also highlights how the game’s setting and cast are similar to Telltales Borderlands adventure-driven narrative. Sure, there’s a new cast and story happening, but the game seems to be very much like its beloved predecessor. This sequel is great because your choices and their impact on the overall story are important. 

Watch the Trailer for New Tales from the Borderlands below: 

Ahead of this trailer’s release, I spoke to Gearbox Software director of production James Lopez, and Gearbox Studio Quebec producer Frédéric Scheubel, about the new game and how it aims to bring players back to the universe of Borderlands in a way unique to the Tales from the Borderlands series. 

Scheubel explained to me that every choice you make will have an impact on the stories unfolding. This can often be in surprising ways so it’s worth playing through the entire game. It is not the sequel to Tales from the Borderlands. It is an entirely new story, with new characters and cast members. It was conceived as an inspiration to Tales from the Borderlands. It has the same story and gameplay as Tales from the Borderlands, with an extra Gearbox touch on animation. This makes it a very familiar experience with bonified content. 

Lopez claims that nearly all characters will be original, but there will still be references to characters from Borderlands 3 and Tales from the Borderlands 2. 

“By large [it’s]”It is an independent product,” he said. “We wanted it completely different and contained so everyone, new or old, could enjoy the game with no worries about previous versions.” 

I was told by the developer team that it will be an episodic game, just like its predecessor. However, they also took a cue from Deck Nine’s Life is Strange, True Colors. The first episode will contain all the episodes. Lopez claims you can watch them all from beginning to end, or even pick up an episode in the middle. Although that freedom is available, Lopez doesn’t know why anyone would. 

Lopez states, “As someone who was involved in the production of Tales 2 and 3, I am acutely aware that this was a critically important game.” People who played it love. Instead of trying to replicate those steps, we acknowledge where they came from and then attempt to make it better. You can use the same formula and do what works, but Gearbox-style. It’s the first time that we have made such a game internally. This is the first time we’ve made this kind of game internally. [Scheubel] mentioned, we did partner with some people who worked on Tales to make sure we understand the philosophy behind how they make those sorts of games, and what’s the philosophy of choice.” 

Scheubel said that one of the major challenges in the production process was the COVID-19 epidemic. They wanted to make a spiritual successor and committed to motion capture. The pandemic rendered this impossible and so the team needed to adjust the story. Ultimately, there were fewer people on set. Scheubel says that the game has become more intimate and better for this reason. New Tales from the Borderlands won’t be about a large cast of characters. Instead, it will focus on Anu, Octavio and Fran. This is an unusual trio. 

According to a press release, “New Tales from the Borderlands is a unique story that immerses players in an original and deep story with heartwarming emotion, unexpected turns and classic Borderlands humor.” In Promethea’s war-torn metropolis, players will play the role of the three underdogs. These include Anu, Anu’s altruistic scientist brother Octavio and Fran, a fierce, frogurt-flinging Fran.

This cinematic thriller ride will see players face off against a planet invasion, vicious vault monster, as well as cold-hearted capitalists. What happens next is dependent on the player’s decisions. Each choice, no matter how small, can have an impact on the story’s progression, sometimes in surprising ways. Only by playing the game can players truly understand the potential consequences of their decisions.  

One thing the team took to heart with developing New Tales from the Borderlands is ensuring that every input on the controller – every choice – matters. It was important to have payoffs that were based on what you choose. This took some planning. The result of all that planning, stretching back over at least two years, is New Tales from the Borderlands, available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X (PS4), Xbox One, Switch and PC. 

Let us know your thoughts on the New Tales from the Borderlands trailer! Comment below to let us know your thoughts!