While Gearbox is best known for the Borderlands series, it isn't the series serving as the studio's foundational piece. That distinction belongs to a the Brothers in Arms series, a tactical-FPS set during the latter days of World War 2 during some of the most intense operations in the European front. Gearbox recognizes this and is set to revisit the franchise, a fact Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford choose to share in the most casual manner possible earlier in 2021.

Pitchford confirmed the game's development during an appearance on the AIAS Game Maker's Notebook podcast back in April, but was not released on YouTube and free podcast services until September. The subject came up while Pitchford was speaking on Gearbox waiting to announce Borderlands 3 until it was already in beta and development was nearly complete. He followed this by saying Gearbox is "working on another Brothers Arms game" but he wouldn't say more until the game was far enough along in development.

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The Brothers in Arms series is the oldest series in Gearbox's library, beginning in 2005 with Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. The game and its first sequel, Earned in Blood, follows a unit from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division on and the days following the D-Day Normandy invasions. Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway continues the unit's story months later as part of the disastrous Operation: Market Garden in the Netherlands.

(Pitchford confirms Brothers in Arms at 53:05)

Brothers in Arms was praised at the time for striving to deliver a more grounded, emotional narrative in a World War 2 game, taking influence from Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers' depictions of the war. The gameplay was also praised for the tactical, squad-based gameplay to help stand out in a market dominated at the time by Medal of Honor and Call of Duty.

Aside from the three core titles, several spin-offs and ports were developed for mobile platforms including Hour of Heroes, Global Front, and Sons of War. A fourth entry in the series, Furious 4, was announced at Ubisoft's 2011 E3 press conference and presented as a more over-the-top style game. Following negative feedback from fans, Gearbox said it would be the first in a new series before the game was ultimately cancelled in 2015.

Gearbox is looking to take Brothers in Arms beyond the gaming space, as well. While talking about the upcoming Borderlands film, Pitchford confirmed in April 2020 the studio is working with Ubisoft Television on a TV adaptation of Brothers in Arms. He said the first season is planned to focus on Exercise Tiger, a disastrous D-Day rehersal that resulted in the deaths of nearly 750 American servicemen.

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