New Brothers In Arms Game In Development, But Gearbox Won't Show It Off Until It's Almost Done

Gearbox has confirmed that a new entry in the Brothers in Arms series is in development, but with the memory of the troubled launch of Aliens: Colonial Marines still fresh in its mind, the studio is taking a more cautious approach for the inevitable reveal.

Speaking on the Game Maker's Notebook podcast and spotted by VGC, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford explained that one of the reasons why Aliens: Colonial Marines was a critical flop was because the game had been announced far too early.

"The ink wasn't even dry and they couldn't help themselves, Fox and Sega," Pitchford explained. "Fox was so excited, they wanted to let their world know that their licensing business was good. And Sega was really excited to let the world know that hey, they're trying to get into bigger AAA stuff and make some real bets. So the contract wasn't even signed yet and they announced this deal. And the second you hear Gearbox and Aliens and Unreal Engine, everybody already designed the game in their own head and so there's no hope for us."

It's worth noting that Gearbox at the time showcased Aliens: Colonial Marines with early demo builds that looked vastly different from the finished product, eventually leading to a lawsuit over accusations of misleading advertising and the cancellation of the Wii U version of the game.

"That's so unusual because we all tend to wait to announce anything," Pitchford added. "I mean, I didn't announce Borderlands 3 until it was beta. And it sucks because I know there's a lot of people… we're working on another Brothers in Arms game, but I'm not saying sh** until we have it, you know. And we have fans that really love that [series] and they're just gonna have to suffer."

The Brothers in Arms series has been dormant for several years now, with the last major entry being Hell's Highway in 2008. Gearbox has been planning to return to the World War 2 saga since as early as 2011 when it announced a co-op game in partnership with Ubisoft, that had clearly been inspired by Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds film. That game was later delayed and then it was announced that it had been reimagined as a new IP entirely.

Pitchford would mention a desire to return to the series multiple times, such as in 2013 and 2015, but with the series being adapted for television, it looks like a revival is finally on the cards.