Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

‘Tales from the Borderlands’ joins Telltale’s ‘Game of Thrones’ in 2014

Adam Rosenberg
By
telltales tales borderlands premieres live november 24 from the
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Game of Thrones isn’t the only new series from Telltale Games that is set to debut in 2014. Revealed in a brief trailer during Spike TV’s VGX awards, Tales from the Borderlands is an episodic, story-driven adventure cut from the mold of the studio’s The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us games. The reveal trailer offers very little info, but it confirms that Telltale will be building the game using art and sound assets provided by Borderlands dev Gearbox Software.

The trailer features a pair of would-be (wannabe?) Vault Hunters paying a visit to Pandora’s premiere munitions merchant, Marcus. The female in this pair appears to be named Fiona, as a hastily torn down wanted poster reveals. Fiona’s offenses seem to be considerably less awful that most of what Pandora’s murderous residents are guilty of; the poster notes that she’s being sought for “1st degree fraud, grifting, scamming, quackery, and several other pernicious deceits.” The man accompanying her bears a slight resemblance to Borderlands 2 villain Handsome Jack, who appears with a warning at the end of the trailer. Fiona’s companion could easily be a new character though; he’s got what appear to be a robot arm, which suggests he’s not Handsome Jack, since the ruthless Hyperion CEO is – or at least appears to be – all flesh-and-blood.

Recommended Videos

Don’t take our word for it. Watch the trailer and form your own conclusions. Then let us know what you think. There’s no specific launch date set yet for Tales from the Borderlands, but a safe bet puts it later in the year. With Game of Thrones also set to arrive in 2014, that one will probably arrive first to coincide in some form with HBO’s series, which returns in March. Borderlands games, on the other hand, traditionally release in August/September, so late-summer/early-fall seems a much more likely window, especially given Telltale’s stated desire to establish seasonal series’ that fans can count on. Bear in mind, this is all speculation; make of it what you will. Either way, there’s plenty of Telltale to come in the new year.

Related

Editors' Recommendations

Adam Rosenberg
Adam Rosenberg
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…
Gearbox Studios on using performance capture in New Tales from the Borderlands
A character dressed as a doctor is kneeling, face to face with a girl with a red mohawk in New Tales from the Borderlands.

The AAA games industry has a clear interest in adopting more cinematic techniques. The most lauded titles of recent years -- God of War (2018) and Red Dead Redemption 2 are among them -- all seem like interactive movies in some respect. Many people point to aesthetics, like the continuous shot that frames Kratos, as clear examples of “cinematic” approaches to game design. And they are right to do so.

But the truth is that modern AAA production itself sometimes bears an even stronger, and less discussed, resemblance to cinema. Such is the case of New Tales from the Borderlands. Digital Trends sat down with James Lopez, Gearbox Software's head of production, and Amelie Brouillette, Gearbox Quebec's associate producer, to dig deeper into the team's first attempt at performance capture -- a modern technique that adds filmic detail to the already immersive world of Borderlands.

Read more
The best Tales games, ranked from best to worst

The Tales series has always thumbed its nose at RPG traditions. Wildly popular in Japan, Tales hasn’t pierced the West in the same way that franchises like Final Fantasy have, though many of its titles remain in the pantheon of the best JRPGs. We’re counting down the 14 mainline titles released in North America -- plus two released in Japan -- in this guide to the best Tales games.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Tales games feature real-time combat in the style of a fighting game that's set in the framework of an RPG. The traditions of a good JRPG are still present, though, including dense character progression, a grand narrative, and a cast of interesting characters. With the two combined, the Tales games provide a break from the monotonous gameplay that often comes from JRPGs.

Read more
Sony says collaboration with FromSoftware could go beyond games
Bloodborne

Sony commented on its recent purchase of a minority stake in FromSoftware, the developer behind Elden Ring, saying that PlayStation could go beyond game development with the studio.

Earlier this year, Sony bought a 14.09% stake in FromSoftware, allowing the current owner, Kadokawa Corporation, to further leverage FromSoftware to publish its own games around the world, rather than only self-publishing in Japan, and then having to rely on other partners like Bandai Namco in other regions.

Read more