Battleborn will be completely unplayable when servers shut later this month

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A former writer reflects on the game

Battleborn
(Image credit: 2K)

Later this month, Gearbox's Battleborn will finally shut its servers for good, rendering the game entirely unplayable.

Gearbox and publisher 2K actually announced back in 2019 that Battleborn's servers would be shutting down permanently as of January 25, 2021, and removed the game from storefronts shortly thereafter. The month of January 2021 has finally come around, meaning that after the specified date, no one on the face of the planet will be able to play Battleborn, since it's an always-online game that requires a permanent internet connection.

If you're wondering about the game's single player component, you won't be able to play that either. Unfortunately, Battleborn requires a connection to the game's servers to even boot up, so if there's no servers, there's no launching the game.

In the tweet thread which begins below, former Battleborn writer Aaron Linde reflects on the development of Gearbox's shooter. As Linde writes, Battleborn really will disappear as of January 25, as there's literally no way to play the game that hundreds of people poured months and years of their lives into.

In the thread, Linde goes on to say that he might very well release a supercut of all his favorite lines for each character in Battleborn over the coming few weeks. It's a shame, all in all. Linde's tweet thread really does paint a stark picture of the realities of maintaining an always-online game, and how it can be completely lost to the history books without a stable player base there to support it.

If you're soon to be in need of a replacement, check out our list of the best co-op games.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.