Gearbox Wants Borderlands 2 on Vita

So, Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software who own the Borderlands franchise and are generally in charge of everything to do with it has expressed something that I think we all want, and not just him.  He says that he wants Borderlands 2 on the Vita which is a rather admirable goal, of course, since the system has poised itself to be a potential portable FPS machine (on top of its other merits).  Of course there....is just a little bit of a rub to it.  "We're too busy to develop it ourselves", he says, which I could believe wholeheartedly.  After all, the game is set to come out in September, which is only a few months away, and saying that they 'want' the game on the system means that they, er, haven't made any strides towards it.  And it's not like porting a game simply takes an afternoon to do, much less when you barely have the resources to do so.

However, he did present a solution to it, however far-fetched it might seem at first.  "Perhaps some of you folks can convince Sony to start that,"..."But I know there are a lot of talented developers who could take our code, our source and our content and perhaps create something like that."  So, if by some reason that isn't clear enough, the proposal he's putting on the table here is that he'll front the coding and such of Borderlands 2 if Sony is willing to pony up a studio to tool it to the Vita (which is a specialized task at this point, considering the device hasn't been out for half a year yet) and publish it.  It is a very potentially lucrative option for Sony, as if they could make Cross-play with the PS3 version work, it'd sync right in with their PS3/Vita plan, and you cannot tell me that Borderlands 2 Vita isn't a very, very tempting prospect to a lot of people.  Aside from that, if Sony were to publish the game (through the developer they have code it or what have you) that'd net in a little more cash for them than it would otherwise.

For my part, and I say this every time that something like this comes up, a potential Vita version has definitely turned my interest in Borderlands 2 from "Not at all" to "Quite", as I have to admit I followed the original from afar, never going so far as to simply purchasing and playing it.  It's one of those games where I always intended to, of course, but just never got around to it yet, as there is not really something of a shelf life against it or anything.  A Vita version of 2 could certainly tempt me into pulling the trigger on it (pun intended) in short order, if just so I could enjoy the rather unique art style the games bring to the table.  Though, I'm told that the original game is good fun and such and there is that, but seriously, just take a look at some screenshots for the game.  Like the one at the top of the post.  As well as other ones that you'll have to look for yourselves.  Little homework never hurt anyone.

I do find it a bit odd that I can't really talk on the game based on the fact that I know....well, less than most about it.  I understand that the driving force of the first game was its rather surprisingly Diablo-esque approach to loot drops, in the form of all sorts of firearms being found here and there with special properties decided at random.  Much as one could expect to search a dungeon for a randomly generated enchanted blade, you'll similarly find that same feeling of exploration in Borderlands.  I imagine the sequel will carry over and improve that in ways I cannot begin to fathom at this point.  I also figure that, based on the screenshot above, there's a certain skill system in place, making it so that you can customize whichever of the characters you decide to assume the role of, meaning no two versions of the character will be the same insomuch as from-the-box, as it were.  Aside from the focus on party-play, there's not a whole lot else I can contribute to discussions on the game.

Regardless, the point of doing this post was to make sure the idea was out there as much as it can be, as much as I can do.  So all....three of the people who read this blog semi-faithfully are now totally informed.  (I'm kidding, I'm kidding.  Kind of.)  They say that the best way to spread news like this, though, is simply to just disperse it like this, make sure everyone does their part, no matter how big or small it might be.  Whether or not I think it really works like that is a bit up in the air, but hey, I am sort of telling of something fairly news-worthy that someone else told of based on something they were told directly from the source, so already this is like three degrees of separation.  So maybe there is some logic to it after all.  But the important thing is less getting it known as a possibility, and more that people who -know- about the possibility try and, you know, push things in that direction.  So, hey, all three people that read this, go push!