Gearbox Finishes 'Borderlands 2' Development; Begins Work On DLC

Jul 20, 2012 by Anthony Mole

Borderlands 2 Development Finished

Gearbox Software announced today that development on Borderlands 2 has been completed. Starting now, the studio will begin shifting focus to the game’s DLC offerings, including free content for pre-orders.

Borderlands 2 will undergoing the certification process shortly, during which the game will be heavily scrutinized for bugs – ensuring it’s ready for release. At this time, Gearbox is unable to make anymore changes to the game, meaning all of the on-disc content has been locked down.

As the game is tested, the studio will begin work on DLC, including the free Mecromancer content. The new class will be available as a free download to gamers who are part of the Premiere Club, and will release between 60 and 90 days after launch. Players can join the Club by pre-ordering Borderlads 2 at specific retailers.

Due to the way DLC has been implemented in the past, some gamers may find this announcement a bit unsettling. With Gearbox announcing development of DLC before the game has hit shelves, it would be easy to accuse the studio of withholding content from the players. Gamers shouldn’t really worry, as the disc will already come packed with a 58-hour campaign, not to mention a more varied selection of weapons. Even then, if the DLC for Borderlands 2 is anything like its predecessor’s, there probably won’t be many objections about paying for the extra content.

However, now that development is finished, perhaps Gearbox will be able to find time to port the game to other platforms. Randy Pitchford has expressed interest in bringing Borderlands 2 to the Vita, and his positive comments about the Wii U make us hope for a launch on Nintendo’s platform. While the studio does have its hands full at the moment, it could always recruit another studio to handle the ports while overseeing production.