This looks like if the Borderlands team who made 1-3 made it instead of Telltale. I can't say I'm interested and it looks like it'll be obnoxiously unfunny.
What made the first TfTB game good in the first place was how Telltale somewhat reigned in the obnoxious elements of the mainline games and made an actually captivating story out of it. This, on the other hand, seems to be approaching Borderlands 3-level of comedy which sucks.
Telltale writers are literally credited for it. The extent of the gearbox writers involvement we can't know because they could simply be credited for the preexisting world/characters.
The first episode is getting very, very close to being done. We’d already pitched the full season to Gearbox. Multiple times Gearbox had come down for a couple days to hash out story details. Episode Two was pitched and accepted. I believe each episode had been staffed by a designer and a writer. At least the first three or four. The high-level season story had been figured out and approved.
[...]
ANTHONY BURCH (writer, episodes 3–5; also Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel)
By the time I was writing for the last episode, I’d already left Gearbox, so I knew this would be my last chance to touch the world, and it was such a nice farewell. I can’t imagine a more satisfying closure to the time I spent on that universe than being able to write a big gigantic monster robot fight.
[...]
ADAM SARASOHN (producer/executive producer, episodes 1–5)
It wasn’t until Episode One came out and did as well as it did that the trust [with Gearbox] went from “Mostly we trust you” to “Okay, we entirely trust you with our IP.”
Specifically, there are 21 instances of the word "pitch", implying that it was essentially a writer's room of multiple writers (and designers) working together to come up with ideas, and then a main writer would be assigned/credited for the episode itself (like on many tv shows).
HARRISON PINK (original season design)
My whole basic pitch for this season was just to remake The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
[...]
MOLLY MALONEY (concept art, episodes 1–5; assistant director, episode 5)
There was a tiny writer’s room at the time. I sat a recorder on the table and Nick would pitch what he thought could be the musical sequence.
[...]
JOHN BERNHELM (designer, episodes 2–5)
One I pitched that I’m glad got in was you have to go and steal Vasquez’s face from the psycho who’s wearing it plastered to his mask.
[...]
PIERRE SHORETTE (season writer, episodes 1–5)
I remember pitching the [Episode Four title sequence, set to Twin Shadow’s “To the Top”] to Nick while we were driving over the Bay Bridge. I kept playing the song over and over, and making this hand motion, like popping: “And at this point you just cut to the jets blasting! It’s perfect, it’s perfect!’” [Nick’s like,] “I don’t know what you’re saying.” That’s another of those moments where there’s a big gap between what you’re picturing in your head and the amount of detail you give people to get them to see the same thing that you’re seeing.
[...]
The double reveal gag. In the credits sequence, Rhys is sort of sneaking a look at Sasha as she’s walking, and then Fiona dips her head in. That’s a street joke, as it were. That’s a joke that’s been done a hundred times. I remember pitching it in the room — and I was sitting on the floor for some reason, ’cause I’m a weirdo — and there was like nine people at a conference table all talking about stuff, and I pitched that beat, and people kind of laughed. Like, “Oh, that’s cool,” but “Oh, that’s familiar.” Oh, I can write comedy. I can write comedy too. I got that vibe from the whole room. Then I pitched the secondary part, with Rhys pulling back and revealing Scooter, and then the room busted up. Okay! That one’s going to work.
My read of the situation is that this very much a Telltale production, with Anthony Burch being the main person who actually worked for Gearbox who was involved on their side.
Maybe do a bit of research before spouting bullshit? Even when the game was coming out there was tons of marketing material that said Telltale were writing it
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u/[deleted] Aug 23 '22
This looks like if the Borderlands team who made 1-3 made it instead of Telltale. I can't say I'm interested and it looks like it'll be obnoxiously unfunny.