In 2016, Gearbox Software took a gamble. Instead of immediately moving forward with the highly-anticipated Borderlands 3, it instead decided to pursue a new IP in the form of the FPS/MOBA hybrid Battleborn. Unfortunately for Gearbox, the Battleborn gamble didn't pay off like it hoped, and the game quickly faded into obscurity. And now, roughly five years since the game's original release, the Battleborn servers have been officially shut down.
The official Battleborn Twitter account confirmed as much on Twitter, making the announcement to any Battleborn stragglers that the servers have been deactivated. And since Battleborn required an online connection, this means the game has been rendered unplayable. The tweet stated that the developers are proud of the work that was done on Battleborn, and it concluded by thanking the game's community.
Even though Battleborn wasn't all that popular, it's still disappointing whenever a game like this is shut down, as it makes its content completely inaccessible to those who already invested in it and those who may stumble on it in the future. But on the bright side, at least those playing Battleborn were given plenty of advanced warning that the game's server shut down was looming in the distance.
Fans were first informed of the Battleborn server shut down in November of 2019, giving them a little over a year to play the game as much as they want, unlocking any achievements they may still need or accomplish whatever else. This is in stark contrast to other games, which are shut down out of nowhere or give players very short notice about their demise. Considering how long Battleborn players knew about the server shut down in advance, hopefully everyone that wanted to play it has done so.
While the Battleborn server shut down is no doubt disappointing to any fans who were still playing the game regularly, it also has to be hard for the developers who put in the work to bring the game to life. One Battleborn writer has already expressed their heartbreak at the game's servers being shut down, and one has to imagine that other people who worked on the project are similarly disappointed about the situation.
The Battleborn servers being shut down isn't the first time an online-only game was rendered unplayable, and it certainly won't be the last. Hopefully future online game shut downs take note of how Battleborn handled it and give fans plenty of notice in advance so anyone interested can play while they still can.