New Tales from the Borderlands comes to PC and consoles on October 21, 2022. That's right, the new Tales from the Borderlands game is just called "New Tales From The Borderlands." Easy to remember!
New Tales From The Borderlands is another episodic narrative adventure game, but it's not made by Telltale—or "new Telltale," you might call it, since the old Telltale went bankrupt and was later resurrected. Instead, this one comes from main Borderlands series developer Gearbox Software.
New Tales from the Borderlands also isn't a direct continuation of the story from Tales from the Borderlands. It's about three new characters, Anu, Octavio, and Fran, who are facing off against Tediore and their talking guns with legs.
As with all the other Borderlands games, the Gamescom reveal suggests we'll be subjected to bizarre characters, annoyingly funny one-liners, references to places like Buttsville, and the series' typical anti-corporate themes. Alongside the new fresh faces, expect to see a few familiar friends and foes, too—nobody actually important ever seems to stay permanently dead in Borderlands, and the characters from Telltale's game have apparently not been swallowed by the swamp of intellectual property licensing. I spotted Rhys and his shit moustache in the trailer, but I personally hope to see ultra-ripped nerd, Vaughn, especially after his fortune changed in Borderlands 3.
Rather than being all looty-shooty, New Tales from the Borderlands is mainly about deciding where the story goes, whether you want to talk your way out of a situation or throw frogurt in someone's face and flee.
"The decisions you make determine how your story ends in unexpected ways," says Gearbox. "Whether it's Anu's vision of a universe that markets more than weapons, Octavio's dreams of fame and fortune, or Fran's frosty plot for revenge, their success or failure depends on you."
Like the Telltale original, New Tales from the Borderlands will be singleplayer and episodic; it's a "five-part story," Gearbox says. The original Tales was one of Telltale's better games, and arguably contains the best storytelling the Borderlands universe has seen. Whether Gearbox can do compelling interactive fiction without its usual bazillion guns to fall back on is an open question, but some of the original Telltale writers are working on this one, according to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.
We'll be able to play Gearbox's attempt at the modern adventure game on October 21. Pre-orders are available now: There's a New Tales from the Borderlands standard edition available for $40/£35, and a Deluxe version for $50/£45, which includes the original Tales from the Borderlands. It's not clear yet whether all episodes will be released at once, or if they're releasing over time.
Catch up with our full list of Gamescom announcements from Opening Night Live and check our Gamescom schedule to find out when to watch everything else.
