Gearbox provided "creative guidance" on the new Borderlands game, which isn't actually Borderlands Mobile but is out now in a "limited-time test"

Update: A statement sent to GamesRadar+ by the Zynga communications team sheds some light on the nature of this apparent Borderlands Mobile shadow drop. The short version is that Gearbox was lightly involved in its development, this isn't a full release, and it's actually not even called Borderlands Mobile. Here's the company's statement in full:

"We are always exploring ways to introduce Borderlands to new audiences. Zynga’s NaturalMotion studio is currently conducting a limited-time test for an untitled Borderlands mobile project, with Gearbox providing creative guidance on the franchise’s design, history, and lore. We hope that players enjoy this new Borderlands experience and look forward to their feedback."

Original story:

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A new Borderlands game aptly titled Borderlands Mobile surprise-launched on iOS today, bringing what looks like a reimagined Borderlands 3 to phones.

The App Store listing says Borderlands Mobile is the work of Zynga, the mobile game titan that Take-Two Interactive, parent company of series creator Gearbox, absorbed years ago. Gearbox's role in the game is unclear; the studio hasn't said anything about the game online, but really, neither has anyone else.

It seems probable Gearbox contributed in an oversight capacity, and the company is mentioned in the App Store page – perhaps purely out of legal obligation for the house of Borderlands. But the page lists Zynga as developer and, curiously, also mentions NaturalMotion, the creator of now-defunct mobile arena game Star Wars Hunters.

Early walkthroughs of Borderlands Mobile, which appears to have soft-launched with a staggered regional rollout, are already popping up online. (I've seen people speculate that this launch was a mistake, but unannounced launches for mobile spinoffs aren't unheard of.) Sure enough, it's a first-person shooter where you pick a Vault Hunter, grab a gun, shoot bandits, and try not to kill Claptrap. Classic.

Borderlands Mobile Gameplay Walkthrough Part 1 (iOS, Android) - YouTube

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The intro animation, featuring Borderlands 3's Calypso Twins and a missing Lilith, puts the game squarely around the third mainline game in the series. Borderlands Mobile's narrative broadly gestures at a fight against corporate greed and a thirst for "secret alien treasure," which feels like a Greatest Hits of Borderlands storytelling.

Impressive is a stretch given how little we've seen, but Borderlands Mobile looks pretty convincing at the very least. If you told me it was a modified cloud version of an older game in the series, I wouldn't immediately call you a liar.

Borderlands Mobile features and descriptions shared online reveal some interesting tidbits in the game. There's a full campaign, a Tiny Tina-run Tower of Terror mode that unlocks "Ship Parts" (any Gummi Ship enjoyers?), raid bosses, faction wars, and both free and paid versions of a battle pass.

There's a whiff of Destiny Rising about this one: a solid-looking mobile version of a beloved series, packing features that fans of the main games might love, but with mobile trappings potentially spoiling the experience for those same fans.

The approach to the game and the mobile space as a whole is perhaps best summed up by this slide on the App Store: "Your attention span is short. So are our missions!"

Borderlands 4 performance issues have been "pretty stressful," admits dev, but Gearbox has done "a pretty good job" fixing them.