Gearbox Software sneakily announced an upcoming Brothers in Arms game after the series has remained dormant for eight years, and the news elicited a surprisingly tepid response when a return for the series is actually an exciting prospect. The series of eleven games consists mostly of first- and third-person tactical shooters, and though there are only three main series entries, they were all met with positive reviews. Though the narrative particulars differ across titles, every game takes place during World War 2 and centers around the liberation of Western Europe.
The first Brothers in Arms, Road to Hill 30, was released in 2005 for PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The game was met with an impressive but not overwhelming critical reception but has since been praised for the innovations it brought over some of the best World War 2 video games, a subgenre which had become somewhat oversaturated and stagnant. As well as the game’s noteworthy fusion of first-person and tactical shooter gameplay, fans admire its accurate portrayal of the time period and its appropriately solemn depiction of war.
From 2005 to 2008, Gearbox churned out Brothers in Arms games at an alarming rate, sometimes releasing two in the span of a year. Though the series maintained its quality at first, it soon fell into the same trap as many other popular franchises, with too many titles produced too quickly. Now for every standout Brothers in Arms entry, there is at least one mediocre game that’s faded into obscurity. This is likely a reason why the series disappeared in 2014 after its last three exclusively mobile games, which aren’t actually worth playing, garnered middling reviews. Despite the downward slope, the upcoming title seems immensely promising, and since Gearbox has had plenty of time to recover, they’ll hopefully deliver a product more in touch with Brothers in Arms‘s renowned roots: an authentic, story-driven WW2 adventure.
A New Brothers In Arms Game Signals A WW2 Renaissance
The reemergence of games set during World War 2 is likely at least part of the reason Brothers in Arms is returning. The subgenre has always been around, but it lost some traction after the first few Brothers in Arms games were released around 2008, when Call of Duty: World at War took the throne. However, Wolfenstein: The New Order helped usher the era back into the spotlight with its acclaimed narrative about an alternate reality where Nazi Germany triumphed over the Allies, and both the Call of Duty and Battlefield franchises followed the trend three years later, though at that point the Call of Duty WW2 gimmick was getting boring.
It seems like WW2-based stories are still thriving, and the success of Hell Let Loose and Call to Arms – Gates of Hell: Ostfront suggests the world is ready for more. However, a game attempting to portray the dark period of human history has to have more than just stellar gameplay on its side – it also needs a compelling story that tactfully captures the devastation of World War 2. Brothers in Arms already met both criteria before they started mass-producing handheld and mobile games, and one has to hope the series will pull out all the stops for their first chance at a real comeback. The returning trend means the series now has some stiff competition (Hell Let Loose has terrifyingly engrossing multiplayer), and it will be exciting to see how it differentiates itself from similar tactical shooters like Gates of Hell: Ostfront.
Gearbox Inspires Confidence For A Brothers In Arms Sequel
The issue with Brothers in Arms is not that it ran out of ideas. In fact, all three mainline titles are generally respected. The oversaturation occurred in the many spin-off titles, some of which are unnecessary ports of previous games, and many of which have different developers. The fact that both Road to Hill 30 and the second game, Earned in Blood, were both basically rereleased twice within three years of their original debuts is a good indication of what went wrong. Brothers in Arms DS, a poorly-rated and hidden Nintendo DS game developed by Gameloft, also saw two ports after its release, none of which significantly improved the game. When Gearbox does shell out for a core Brothers in Arms, it hits its mark, and the upcoming title looks to be more than just another unremarkable smartphone spin-off.
When Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford confirmed the game is in development, he also mentioned to PC Gamer that it “has to be authentic,” and that Gearbox “[has] been working on that.” Gearbox is taking the reins, so this won’t be some throwaway side project by Gameloft or Ubisoft; it will hopefully be a sequel to the third core title Hell’s Highway. Pitchford does mention that Gearbox “[has] unfinished business there with both the fiction and the history,” so this may finally conclude the franchise’s main story.
Gearbox Will Get Brothers in Arms Right Because They Have To
Though a return to form is reason enough for Gearbox to give this title their all without undermining the game’s WW2 setting, there is also a Brothers in Arms TV show in the works, and each project will act as a conduit for the other’s success. The TV series has only a loose connection to the primary narrative, but yet another poorly received game will reflect badly on the show, which has to be using the franchise attachment to attract fans of the video game series. Additionally, this is not the first time Gearbox has teased a fourth main Brothers in Arms; a teased title was canceled in 2015 after garnering negative feedback for its new direction. Another failed fourth entry will likely mean the game series will be at an end, and considering the number of consecutive failures, it probably should be.
The scrapped fourth game failed because Gearbox broke the WW2 rule: they botched the portrayal by leaning away from their realistic roots, so regardless of the potential gameplay, the project was already scorned by their fanbase. Pitchford’s comment about authenticity may be an indirect indication that Gearbox learned about the series’ world and mechanics from the debacle. Gearbox could survive losing their first successful solo endeavor now that Borderlands is such a celebrated franchise, but they would still take a severe hit if they threw away a series that has remained somewhat mainstream for seventeen years. Keeping with the company’s tradition, the game won’t be formally announced until development is in its late stages, so there’s no real information available yet. However, Gearbox knows it still has fans who are eagerly awaiting the official fourth Brothers in Arms. If they want to keep them, they’ll learn from their mistake in 2015 and make a product in the same vein as its prequels, so any fans of WW2 stories or tactical shooters should look forward to it.
