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First Borderlands DLC to drop this year

Increasingly, developers are announcing plans for downloadable content before their game is even released. The week after BioWare announced a day-one expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, Gearbox Software has detailed the first add-on for Borderlands. Called The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, the add-on...

Increasingly, developers are announcing plans for downloadable content before their game is even released. The week after BioWare announced a day-one expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, Gearbox Software has detailed the first add-on for Borderlands. Called The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, the add-on will be available later this year for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 for $9.99 (800 Microsoft points).

As advertised, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned will feature undead opponents aplenty, accidentally created by the titular doctor (unrelated to Dr. Zed, one of the first characters people meet in the game). Players will join up with the semi-mad scientist to track down his creations, which are running amok in a new region the DLC adds to the game, Jakobs Cove.

Gearbox promises that The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned will be a "full-fledged expansion" and will be the first in a series of DLC add-ons to Borderlands. The M for Mature-rated "role-playing shooter" ships on October 20 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with the PC version arriving on October 26.

232 Comments

  • pact4lyfe

    Posted Nov 22, 2009 5:40 pm GMT

    head poppin fun fer everyone!

  • ErkiB

    Posted Nov 5, 2009 2:32 pm GMT

    Cant wait for the DLC release date...Also alternate costumes would be nice...

  • hiccup87

    Posted Oct 29, 2009 8:00 pm GMT

    I just hope they dont go all Mothership Zeta. Crossing fingers 4 level cap increase&new gun stuff

  • dbzrulez77

    Posted Oct 28, 2009 8:35 pm GMT

    can't wait i love this game

  • shaddix55

    Posted Oct 28, 2009 1:46 am GMT

    Full fledged DLC makes me very happy to read that. With the way they delivered Borderlands, I cannot wait for this DLC!!!

  • Pokechapp

    Posted Oct 26, 2009 1:51 am GMT

    @razorback187 I can't agree more. I think some companies should seriously consider doing DLC over disc based content. When I heard about the LIPS series doing a 40 song game I nearly cursed in front of a few small children. Honestly release DLC packs for that. But when a game like BL comes out and has so much content in it as is then DLC comes for it.... I am sold. Same with Fallout 3. I loved the DLC for Fallout and am sure if they add some new weapons or statistics to the randomized weapons I will be all about it.

  • xXSoViEt

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 6:35 pm GMT

    i just hope they go all the way for these dlc and not get lazy like some of the fallout dlc's

  • psycho_spaceman

    Posted Oct 23, 2009 12:18 pm GMT

    my god, i can't wait

  • RockMan-NEO

    Posted Oct 22, 2009 5:30 pm GMT

    rawr zombies X3

  • mrzero1982pt2

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 11:43 am GMT

    @razorback187 couldnt say it better. when people make a game, they are putting all of their effort into it, if you got paid to make a piece of crap, you can be rest assured it will not sell and the studio will close in a week. look at GRIN. they gave them everything in the world, and they made crappy games. you pay for what you get. if you want crappy games, go buy em. but people, just like developers want quality. fool

  • DBZ_RPGs

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 11:08 am GMT

    I love zombies!

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:22 am GMT

    its understood all new games will have people working on DLC before their even released.

    headline could have been "PC gets another game late"

    oh hang on........thats even more obvious =)

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 10:03 am GMT

    Hey, zombies are ideal shooting targets: slow, creepy, and human enough to have impact but monstrous enough so it doesn't raise any real moral issues.

    It's amazing the impact Resident Evil 4 has had on the business. Uncharted 2 is an amazing game, but it owes a massive debt to RE4, which everyone in the business clearly played as much as we did. More or less the perfect action game, and the blueprint for years to come. Even RE5 was just a decent imitation.

  • atopp399

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 9:36 am GMT

    How much do you want to bet if used game sales are eliminated in the future that new games will not get any cheaper?

  • razorback187

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 8:59 am GMT

    If you don't like DLC don't pay for it.
    If you don't think the game is worth the price then don't buy it.
    Its that simple.
    Only an idiot would say something like "they should care more about the game than getting paid." Like everyone is supposed to make you fun games for free? Why, because you're so awesome you deserve it for nothing? Thats a childish and self-centered attitude.

  • Firebullet199

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 8:56 am GMT

    Dragon Age origons DLC should be in the game not day one DLC. Borderlands mabye might be forgiven.

  • mrzero1982pt2

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 8:46 am GMT

    ill buy it eventually. im already getting borderlands on friday. it looks insane and promising. is it me or did the cell shading actually enhance the coolness of the game?

  • solidstein

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 8:31 am GMT

    zombies are great enemies to fight sometimes there not smart and they are kinda creepy thats why you got the dumb enemies like zombies and you got your smart enemies but if u think about it there are only a certain abmount of types of enemies to face and zombies/mutants and then how do u classify zombies i say its anything that can infect u with there virus that is undead

  • solidstein

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 8:24 am GMT

    its a freaking business people that have to make money i can see if the wuality of the games were down then complain but there not if the DLC is like a expansion pack why didnt people complain about those

  • solidstein

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 8:22 am GMT

    i disagree sometimes there are things cut out of games cuz they dont work right with the flow or what not and this is there way of showing us some love now i agree some people are nickel and diming us but look at gta4 those dlcs are basically games in its self or fall out 3 there like extra episodes i like dlc it extends the play of the games i like u dont have to buy the DLC so stop complaining

  • Buyableduck

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 7:44 am GMT

    This isnt devs getting over confident its just them again saying, we're not going to give you the game we've made we're going to figgure out how much we can keep back and then get you to play later. They've already taken out the customiseable vehicles, it now being a total 1 car and 2 turrets with your choice of color, im guessing only because they plan to sell that as dlc aswell. Devs only want to see how much they can keep back to release later nowdays

  • lionheartssj1

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 7:30 am GMT

    Makes me think that maybe all this DLC should have been in the game in the first place and we're getting nickled and dimed.

  • Perskesop

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 7:22 am GMT

    SWEEEET !!!! Just when i thought Borderlands is gonna be the craziest game of the year, they throw this at us, ZOMBIES !!! My life will be complete !

  • Nercis

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 7:14 am GMT

    I love shooting zombies or zombielike creatures like the feral ghols in fallout 3 and they realy creeps me out

  • aChaChaCha

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 6:54 am GMT

    @Mr_Manga Yah i noticed too, its ironic, once the RE series casts away their ''zombie'' enemie for the ganados/majini it seems zombies are appearing in like every other game series. Maybe there just tryin to compensate

  • Mr_Manga

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 6:47 am GMT

    How original. Zombies in a shooting game
    Whats up with games and zombies nowadays?

  • aChaChaCha

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 6:05 am GMT

    Jesus so many gaming companies gettin a lil overconfident with themselves, they don't even know if their games will have enough sales for extra DLC to make a decent profit.

    Further more...ffs give people a chance to actually complete the game first before u start shellin out the DLC

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 6:00 am GMT

    @parrot_of_adun

    No, I gotcha. I just used Dragon Age as an example because it has become the poster child for the DLC debate. I don't know the specifics regarding Borderlands, nor honestly do I much care. DLC is a big part of the gaming future (at least until it goes all digital and the secondhand game market is neutralized) and people need to accept it.

  • PixelAddict

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 5:50 am GMT

    Dope. Can't wait to see it. By that time I'll likely be needing some new content to make the game fresh, and I don't mind paying for it AS LONG AS it actually has some value. If I can beat the new DLC in an hour or two, i'll be gnawing on a game dev's ear sayin BWAAAINZ.

  • parrot_of_adun

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 3:08 am GMT

    @Rottenwood - "The DLC for Borderlands and Dragon Age was developed from day one to BE DLC."

    I can't speak for Dragon Age, but as far as Borderlands is concerned, no actually, it wasn't.

    It was made during a stage in production where they could no longer be adding things the the retail package (accoring to an interview that I can't find at the moment). Though, IMO, that doesn't mean they should charge for it. But that has little to nothing to do with GB.

  • airsoftmanic

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 3:07 am GMT

    my problem is not with the devs/pubs releasing DLC (actually shows support for the game if lots of after-release DLC come outs) itself, but with this new culture of pre-announcing DLC before the game is released. it shows that hey are looking too far forward. they should release the game first, wait a few months then release the DLC announcements. it gives people time to play the game and to decide whether the DLC is worth it (hopefullly will with borderlands) rather than announce it before release date and come over as one of the greedy corperations we all hate *cough*activision*cough*

  • Anabub

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 2:32 am GMT

    Give us a review not more news of 'whats coming up' is there some kind of embargo on the review or something? It's out tom in the US and Friday for us here ... seriously would be nice to know now if I should pick this up or not!!

  • westernomelette

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 2:21 am GMT

    I really hate the idea of DLC, remember when game developers used to do this SH** used to be free? it feels more like they care about the money than the game, DLC has basically taken the role of expansions, which In my opinion do not do the job as well

  • mglas72

    Posted Oct 19, 2009 1:57 am GMT

    Its very possible the point of this article is to distract the fact this game is a turkey and they are relying on massive pre-order and day 1 sales before the reviews come out.
    I'm keen on this one but am waiting for the Gamespot community (not the review itself which are tainted) to give its verdict.

  • PandaBear86

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 10:20 pm GMT

    Anything that includes zombies = automatically worth the money

  • xFatJackieChanx

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 9:03 pm GMT

    $70 isn't that bad... All games have DLC, it doesn't matter when it comes out. Fallout planned to have DLC from the get go, but it wasn't on disk. Just because they announced it now doesn't mean we are entitled to it. You don't have to buy it. I don't have Fallot 3's Broken Steel, Point Lookout, or Mothership Zeta. I love the first two, and I will get the others when I feel that I want it. I used to think that they should put it on there first, and then give to us, but it seems that it wasn't planned. It was announced after Dragon Age, the other big RPG of the year... it also is coming out 2 days, there was no way to get it there. This is the same thing as Fallout, it's just that they are getting it to us faster.

  • electronic_eye

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:56 pm GMT

    Oh man! What an absolutely perfect theme and timing for this DLC - zombies, october. How did they know it's my favorite month, holiday and that I'm a hardcore zombie buff!?! Love how they are looking too.

  • JOem316

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:51 pm GMT

    Good DLC = Must buy. Easy as that.

    DLC for one costs a developer time and money. DLC is also a source of income for a developer since they get ZERO dollars from a Used Game sale at Gamestop.

    A good game is worth buying GOOD DLC content. Why so many complaints!!!!!!!!

  • Flint247

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:44 pm GMT

    Why is it that when a DLC content article is posted, people go ballistic?

  • YoungDab

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:35 pm GMT

    This game is like the jet grind radio of fallout Lool

  • B1RDH0UZ3

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 8:18 pm GMT

    Isin

  • brian97

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 7:52 pm GMT

    Yesss this is AweSome!!! Can't wait ... If this game turns out with a really good fps handling(easily used and controlled by casual gamers) and has a great loot system and no major bugs, this game would have such a high Replayability . And with the DLCs they plan to give us(hopefully) this game would be so fricken awesome!!!

  • bennae66

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 7:36 pm GMT

    ooooooooo dlc already... well ms have my credit card details. just deduct away, yeeeeoooww!

  • xE1itEx52

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 7:15 pm GMT

    wow people...The game was certified and started shipping to retailers about 2 weeks ago, and that is when they started working on the DLC...its not like they can send something to the retailers that adds it to the CD or something...once the game is "gold" it is done being worked on...obviously they knew the game would do well, so they started on DLC right when it started shipping...the developers even said that it wasnt stripped from the game...in fact (this doesnt technically have to do with it) the game is SO big that Gearbox asked Micrsoft for a harddrive download...it didnt happen and Microsoft made it on one disk, but still, its that big...its not like 3 years ago when they announced the game they said "mwahaha...we shall make a game that doesnt even include the whole game...and make the people pay more for it!!! muhamwhahahhalasdfh;alsha;ha;d"...no...stop freakin out people...same with Dragon Age Origins...at least it isnt as bad as MW2...which comes out like 25 days after, and they announced DLC and when it would come out and WHAT would be in it like a week before this whole Borderlands dealio...

    Borderlands will be worth every penny, including the DLC which is coming later this year anyway, so its not like you will have to spend 70 dollars right away...

  • cparker2510

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 6:40 pm GMT

    sure, whine and throw a fit that they're charging you money for something you feel entitled to, but developers know that if they make a quality game and they appeal to an avid-enough group of gamers (gearbox is appealing to old diablo players - find a bigger bunch of geeks. i have that game installed four different times on my machine so the regular game and a few full-game mods run without hiccups) their DLC will sell. sometimes they're making the DLC content from the first day they start the engine...sometimes it happens during the downtime that happens in concurrence with the cert...and sometimes it's in response to focus testing and statistical game-play analysis after the game has been on the market for awhile.
    ...
    if paying extra boils your head, don't buy it, but don't kid yourself into thinking you're actually making a statement. if the DLC doesn't sell well, it's because the game turns out to be garbage (which wouldn't be your fault).
    ...
    but i don't think it's going to turn out that way. borderlands is a horse i would bet on.

  • cparker2510

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 6:40 pm GMT

    @basically everyone

    it's...amusing...that a developer announcing extra content for a game draws so much fire from the people that benefit - gamers.

    first of all, it's DLC. it's optional. you're not going to fire up the game and get some sort of system error that says "cough up the extra 10 bucks for the DLC, tightwad," and then - KAPUT - you are not to is being playing game no mores. of course, this is only the 10,001st time that this has been said. some people.
    second of all...for those of you (maybe it's just one guy that keeps repeating himself) that says they'd be happier if they didn't know about the DLC...get off the internet. go outside. the internet will ruin your life if all you wish for is a steady string of surprises that follows a life or relative ignorance of current events. guess who didn't watch "the sixth sense" fast enough? yeah. i effing didn't even get to be surprised when it turned out that bruce willis was dead the whole time, and that could have been a doozy. we're talking real humdinger.

  • Rottenwood

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 6:14 pm GMT

    @PSgamer99

    "If they can announce this stuff before the game is released, in most cases, it should have been included in the game, or as free DLC, not something you should have to pay for."

    I hear this a lot on here, and it misses the point. The DLC for Borderlands and Dragon Age was developed from day one to BE DLC. It was never meant to be in the retail product. The whole point of it is to provide an additional source of income to help counteract the money publishers lose because of the secondhand game market.

    Companies aren't hacking out game content to sell as DLC; they develop DLC concurrently with the main game as a business strategy. The Warden, Dragon Age's DLC, wasn't even developed by the main game's staff. Companies can't use legal action against Gamestop and E-Bay, so they have to find other ways to skirt around re-sellers.

  • lbptoady

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 6:13 pm GMT

    Can't wait!

  • PSgamer99

    Posted Oct 18, 2009 6:01 pm GMT

    if they can announce this stuff before the game is released, in most cases, it should have been included in the game, or as free DLC, not something you should have to pay for.

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