Borderlands: The Handsome Collection gives Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners the chance to play (or replay) both the phenomenal Borderlands 2 and the less phenomenal Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! with a huge collection of DLC and noticeably improved visuals. However, even though the compilation omits the original Borderlands, you’ll be able to play it on your Xbox One in just a few months … provided that you own the game on Xbox 360.
In the official announcement on Xbox Wire, 2K president Christoph Hartmann says that the publisher is “proud to support Xbox One Backward Compatibility by bringing the complete, original Borderlands to Xbox One.” This means that, unlike the games included in The Handsome Collection, you’ll be playing the original Xbox 360 version of Borderlands on your system, complete with any downloadable content you had purchased previously.
Of course, with the release of The Handsome Collection, it is very unlikely that Borderlands 2 or The Pre-Sequel will come to the backward compatibility program in the near-future. The program’s confirmed games are almost all Microsoft-published products, including the original Mass Effect, Gears of War, Perfect Dark Zero, and Viva Piñata. Microsoft is also polling fans on what titles they’d like added to the program in the future, which Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Red Dead Redemption, and Skyrim currently topping the list.
Gearbox president Randy Pitchford has also not ruled out a full remaster of the original Borderlands, telling fans back at PAX South that, depending on sales figures of The Handsome Collection, the studio would consider giving the first game the same treatment.
The original Borderlands comes to the Xbox One backward compatibility program this November, right as you’re sure to be playing Halo 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider. If you’re an Xbox Live Preview member, you can check it out right now.
