Gamescom 2022 kicked off with Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live showcase where fans got new looks at upcoming games like Hogwarts Legacy and Calisto Protocol as well as some big surprises. Unfortunately, not all the surprise announcements managed to stay under the radar as New Tales from the Borderlands leaked a little earlier than Gearbox probably would have liked. Still, CEO Randy Pitchford was on hand to showcase the game officially, giving fans their first look at the upcoming action adventure.
Unlike the mainline series, New Tales from the Borderlands focuses more on narrative adventures with newer characters, though standout characters like Rhys, Vaughn, and others made the jump to the mainline series in Borderlands 3. The debut trailer for New Tales from the Borderlands focuses on three brand-new characters Anu, an "altruistic scientist, her brother Octavio, and froyo-shop owner Fran as they work against corporate overloads from organizations like Atlas and Tediore.
Fans likely saw a few cameos from existing characters with narration from the gun vendor Marcus and even a brief glimpse at Rhys, some fans took to social media to ask where their favorite characters were. In particular, one fan questioned where original protagonists Fiona and Sasha were, to which Randy Pitchford replied that they won't be in New Tales from the Borderlands. However, Pitchford did provide a bit of hope by saying the studio loves both characters and has plans for them to be more than simple side characters.
Pitchford also provided a few additional details on New Tales from the Borderlands, setting expectations for the upcoming title. In a series of Tweets, he confirmed that work on this new game started similar to how the original version did, as Gearbox story team, and the original writers and developers from Telltale came together to collaborate together. Similar to the first game, this New Tales title is mainly to explore new characters within this bigger universe, with a chance to join the primary canon in future games.
Either way, players won't have to wait long to see which characters made the cut for this new version as New Tales from the Borderlands confirmed the release date leak for October 21. Based on the trailer alone, this latest game appears to contain all of the action and humor fans have come to expect from Borderlands, even if this is more about narrative choices than leveling up a skill tree. The trailer even hints at some wackier moments like an action-figure battle and a game show with sharks.
New Tales from the Borderlands will release on October 21 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S