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What happened with the Brothers in Arms series?

Lannisters1798

Lannisters1798

Member
Apr 27, 2018
2,445
I remember that this franchise was popular back in 2008 with Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway and with various other installments in the series.

With Gearbox having the rights to the series, they are sitting on an old IP, and it's not getting any love. Which is a huge bummer.

Would you guys buy a new Brothers in Arms game?

Also found this thread on the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit from a user that I found pretty interesting speculating about the potential future of the series.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeak...urce=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
"Brothers in Arms" is coming back

Hi everyone! I recently discovered this sub and have been excited with some rumors and news. However, I am slightly saddened by the fact that no one has posted information on what is likely to be one of my most anticipated games in the future.

Few players are informed and the media have not covered it with great magnitude, therefore I am forced to share with you everything I know about the next [BROTHERS IN ARMS](https://www.myplaystationwallpapers.net/1280x1024/brothers-in-arms-hells-highway-03-artwork.jpg) game.

Hopefully someone in the sub remembers this great franchise, originally published by Ubisoft, which stood out in the FPS genre until 2008 with its latest installment: Hells Highway. Gearbox has been owing a sequel ever since. However, after the [Furious 4 fiasco in 2011](https://kotaku.com/brothers-in-arms-furious-four-is-no-more-its-now-an-e-5939896), Borderlands' popularity ended up burying the Brothers in Arms franchise for many years.

The wait has been excessively long since 2008, but fortunately there are **many hints that point to the revival** of the Brothers in Arms saga:

​

1. Pre-production started in [2015](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7cLxCmjBMg). Speaking to [IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/07/16/gearbox-working-on-authentic-new-brothers-in-arms-title), Randy Pitchford (CEO of Gearbox Entertainment) explained the project was still in its early stages: "*I think the next Brothers in Arms game has to be authentic and we have been working on that. I feel we have unfinished business there with both the fiction and the history and I'd like to get into that. I spend a lot of time thinking about it*".
2. [SAG-AFTRA´s strike](https://deadline.com/2016/10/video-game-strike-electronic-arts-picketers-sag-aftra-1201841761/) \- in October of 2016 - revealed the development of a new Brothers in Arms game, alongside a list of leaked games.
3. It wasn't until 2017 that we started hearing concrete details though. [**In an interview at E3 2017**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5SqEFk7qjs&t=443s), Pitchford confirmed that a new Brothers in Arms game was in development at Gearbox, that it was going to **feature Sgt. Matt Baker**, that it would be "**authentic**", and that it would be published by Gearbox's own label (with the studio having re-acquired the rights to the franchise when Ubisoft dropped them in 2012). In doing so, Pitchford confirmed that Ubisoft is no longer working with the franchise and that the new game will be published by "[Gearbox Publishing](https://www.gearboxpublishing.com/)".
4. In 2018 a major development update was obtained from Randy Pitchford via Twitter. [Randy replied the following](https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2018/02/randy-pitchford-is-happy-about-new-brothers-in-arms-progress/50869/) to a gamer asking how Brothers in Arms 4's coming along: "*Sure. We have* ***awesome tech, some awesome content and gameplay. Currently trying to nail the story***. W*hen we have that, we'll be able to push towards something we can show and announce. I'm pretty happy with how it's going*." From this point it seemed that the announcement was near and some fans like me were excited.
5. From that moment, Randy Pitchford stopped sharing new details, limiting himself to answering restless fans with a simple phrase: "[We are not ready to announce anything else](https://preview.redd.it/8g57iq18efb21.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=4c98b715dff9c43dbfb7d2cbb89222ea92ffa25e)". This was repeated a few more times until early 2019. *"So sorry I don't have an answer for you yet*" [said Randy](https://www.3djuegos.com/noticias-ver/190526/gearbox-no-olvida-la-saga-brothers-in-arms-trabajamos-en/) answering a fan, again in Twitter. *"We are working on something and I look forward to when it's ready to share".*
6. On April 9, 2019, Borderlands 3 was announced. The hype was huge for fans of that series. From that moment, Randy Pitchford stopped sharing details of Brothers in Amrs 4. **The silence lasted for many months**. It was clear that the only priority for Gearbox was Borderlands 3, as they wanted to make it a great success. And it was.
7. Now something very interesting. Before the announcement of Borderlands 3, [I found this.](https://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/t/leak-unnoticed-and-interesting/2501850) It is a leak that I managed to share on Gearbox Forums. Apparently an indie developer got a gift from a Gearbox developer during the SxSW 2018 convention: [an engraved image](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D1xlp9bWwAAbk4Q.jpg) of Brothers in Arms on what looks like a type of plaque. The image contains two soldiers. It is very peculiar that one of them has **winter googles**, clothing never used in the saga before. In my opinion, this may be a clear reference that the next Brothers in Arms game will be set in the **Battle of the Bulge**.
8. Randy would eventually end the silence after the launch of Borderlands 3. On January 1, 2020, IGN published an [article](https://www.ign.com/articles/2020/01/01/i-miss-the-brothers-in-arms-series) called "I miss the Brothers in Arms series". Pitchford, again via Twitter, answered [this](https://preview.redd.it/gncheiva8d841.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=37fc845af3a4bd0f17ea3660da422f56c7493a2b).
9. Later, some huge news went off in the media. In late April 2020, Gearbox announced that Brothers in Arms will have [a television series](https://www.pcgamer.com/gearboxs-brothers-in-arms-is-getting-a-tv-adaptation/). Yes, you heard it. A television series, with some Band of Brothers producers and set in the Operation Tiger of WW2. Why would Gearbox take advantage of the name of a franchise that has been asleep for more than a decade? Maybe something big is coming.
10. One last interesting tweet from Randy Pitchford was posted last month. When a fan asked how combat and gameplay will evolve in the franchise, Pitchford replied: "[we are going deeper, closer and more personal](https://preview.redd.it/4jfu7ttl5zy41.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=983c34526b557ca720816692dce48376f3110aef)".

​

We don't know anything else.

After Borderlands 3´s success, Gearbox could finally focus on Brothers in Arms 4´s development. However, Randy's tweets never specified anything and the wait has been frustrating tbh. In addition, Gearbox has preferred to announce other projects (with even less development), such as Homeworld 3.

**WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?**

**When will this new Brothers in Arms game be released? Will it be authentic? Will it respect the legacy of the series and the setting of WW2? Will it be a direct sequel to Hells Highway or a complete reboot?**

**There are still many questions**

**Anyway, it is interesting that Gearbox is** [**looking**](https://www.gearboxsoftware.com/careers/) **for a Brand Manager, to surely promote the premiere of a new video game. Who knows...**

Thanks for reading and feel free to share this post. Perhaps there are more fans who may be interested. There are reasons to get excited :)
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Raide

Raide

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
16,596
What happened to it? Gearbox. Don't trust them to do anything with the IP. Would rather it go to a team that will do something.
 
Jangowuzhere

Jangowuzhere

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,505
I thought Hell's Highway was really dumb. They somehow made a game even more melodramatic than other anime games at the time.

It also wasn't a good shooter, so I'm not surprised we never saw a proper sequel.
 
DaciaJC

DaciaJC

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,685
That Furious Four announcement was such a massive misstep. I know Gearbox said they still planned on continuing the mainline series, but with every year that passes, my hope for a proper conclusion only dwindles further.
 
Jerm411

Jerm411

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,014
Clinton, MO
Watched BoB a good part of yesterday and it had me thinking I'd love a new BiA game modeled after the first 2....so yeah I'm def. ready. Loved those games.
 
AbstractPlain

AbstractPlain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
270
I don't think it will ever come back unfortunately. There is no market for WW2 single-player fps it seems. There hasn't been one in ages.
 
DeadmansTheory

DeadmansTheory

Member
May 10, 2019
2,268
I've been waiting for so long for the next installment, from GamingBolt:

Brothers in Arms has been in development since at least 2017- since that's when Gearbox first started saying in clear terms that they were working on it. Even if we assume that a large part of that year was spent in pre-production, that would still mean that principal production on the game has been ongoing for at least over a year, if not more. 2020, in context of all that, would seem like a pretty good bet for when it releases, which means that we should start hearing more concrete things about the game in the months following Borderlands 3's launch.

All that is, of course, pure speculation, based on a lot of vague information. The only unequivocal truth that we know is that a proper Brothers in Arms sequel is very much in development- and the wait for it is going to be absolutely excruciating.

Article

Now it seems a TV series is in the works but no new game.
 
DefiedFaith

DefiedFaith

Member
Oct 25, 2017
171
Florida
What's stopping Brothers in Arms from changing to a more modern setting? I just love the third person camera and giving squad commands. The setting doesn't matter to me.
 
Koukalaka

Koukalaka

Member
Oct 28, 2017
9,283
Scotland
I love the first two games to this day despite their technical limitations (being on the PS2 and Xbox as well as the PC) - great tactical shooters with solid command/suppression mechanics and the gritty visual presentation that still holds up in many ways.

Hell's Highway was a... mixed bag for me with some good and less good ideas and reasonably fun gameplay, but it just doesn't feel quite as focused.
 
Com_Raven

Com_Raven

Brand Manager
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
1,103
Europa
DefiedFaith said:
What's stopping Brothers in Arms from changing to a more modern setting? I just love the third person camera and giving squad commands. The setting doesn't matter to me.
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I mean, literally everything about Brothers in Arms (starting with the name!) is pretty much "how close to Band of Brothers can we get without getting sued".
 
Lord Fanny

Lord Fanny

Banned
Apr 25, 2020
25,953
I think it was a combo of Borderlands being a mega success and people generally just being over World War 2 stuff. I know it's been a good while now since we have a lot of WW2 stuff (outside a few exceptions like COD: WWII and BF5), but goddamn, there was a time.
 
Cliff Steele

Cliff Steele

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,477
Road to Hill 30 is one of the best WW2 games ever created. Man I loved that game back then on Xbox. Earned in Blood was pretty good as well tho not that memorable.

Never finished Hell's Highway. Don't know why. But I'd be down for a new one. Not that Furios Four Edgelord shit tho.
 
Atolm

Atolm

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,826
Agree with the sentiment that HH was like bad quality anime.

DefiedFaith said:
What's stopping Brothers in Arms from changing to a more modern setting? I just love the third person camera and giving squad commands. The setting doesn't matter to me.
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No one wants to touch current conflicts. WWII is unique in the sense that it's a black & white setting, good people vs baddies. The games were historically accurate and certainly one would expect the same from a new entry in the series. You'd need to show both sides, which the US public doesn't like.

I still remember what happened with Six days in Fallujah.
 
McScroggz

McScroggz

The Fallen
Jan 11, 2018
5,971
Those games weren't good, but I would absolutely love an entry in the series. The idea of a game built around co-op gameplay is something that we never got a lot of in the shooter genre outside of a few titles like Halo, Gears of War and Resistance 3 (to name a few) and even in those games they mostly were just the campaign with the ability to play the game with a friend.

I don't really get into multiplayer competitive games so I'm missing those games to hop on once or twice a week and play with a friend or some of my friends. So I hope Gearbox decides to give the IP another chance even if it means letting an outside studio take a crack at it. And hopefully the co-op actually takes advantages of having two real people able to do tasks independently or in conjunction. That's where the game could shine.
 
ThereAreFourNaan

ThereAreFourNaan

Member
Nov 8, 2017
13,098
BL made one quintillion dollars and they started putting other projects on the back burner. They tried their hand at hitting it big with Battle borne too, but that didn't go so well.

I'm sure there are people at the studio who would like to do another but it's tough to get real momentum behind a game that probably won't sell that great versus something that is a guaranteed hit.
 
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