In 2014, Telltale Games’Tales from the Borderlandswas released to relatively weak sales, making it likely that a follow-up would probably never happen. After nearly eight years, a new ESRB rating for the game indicates that the series could be coming back in a big way.
The development history of theTales from the Borderlandsgame is a relatively simple one. After the runaway success of the first season of Telltale’sThe Walking Dead, the developer began taking on a ton of projects. One such project wasTales from the Borderlands, which took place after the events ofBorderlands 2.The story followed a pair of new characters who wanted to take the place of the second game’s antagonist, Handsome Jack. Like all the other Telltale properties, however,Tales from the Borderlandsfell into limbo when the company went bankrupt in 2018. Now, however, it appears that a new announcement for the game might be on the horizon.
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In a recent posting, the ESRB’s website revealed an updated rating forTales from the Borderlands. It still maintains the hard M rating but, interestingly, has added more platforms that the game is available on. OriginallyTales from the Borderlandswas available for the Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, iOS, OS X, and Android. And it eventuallymade its way to Nintendo Switch. This updated rating, however, shows the Playstation 5 as an available platform, indicating that some new things could be on the horizon for the franchise.
As mentioned above,Telltale Games went bankrupt back in 2018, leaving behind a very complicated legacy. On one hand, its interactive storytelling made it quite unique in the medium. On the other hand, stories of workplace crunch and general mismanagement arguably resulted in the calls for video game development reform that we are still seeing today. Ultimately, the majority of Telltale’s assets went to a company known as LCG Entertainment Inc., which is now doing business with the Telltale name and has been working to revive the properties. The rights to theBorderlandsTelltale games, however, found their way into the hands of 2K Games. This new ESRB rating, however, seems to indicate that the company is doing something withTales from the Borderlands.
Since 2K took over theTales from the Borderlandsproperty, the company re-released the game for Windows, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. In addition, 2K also revealed that asequel toTales from the Borderlandsis in developmentand is being made by originalBorderlandsdevelopers Gearbox Software. What this new ESRB rating could indicate is that 2K is prepared to begin ramping up theTales from the Borderlandsfranchise and reminding everyone that it still exists, as it prepares to officially unveil the upcoming sequel.
On the other hand, it is equally possible that this ESRB rating update is just because 2K is going to makeTales from the Borderlandsavailable on the Playstation 5’s digital storefront. Since early 2021, the publisher has beensteadily makingTales from the Borderlandsavailableon various digital storefronts after an extended absence. It also could mean that a physical edition of the game might be available for the platform as well. Whether this comes alongside some kind of announcement for the new game, however, remains to be seen.
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