We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Borderlands prequel from former Irrational staffers at 2K Australia rumoured for PC

The H-shaped Hyperion base, as seen from Borderlands 2.

It seems Gearbox have sprung a leak, and GamePointsNow have been only too happy to cup their hands beneath and collect the sweet, sweet nectar. A new Borderlands game is in the works, they say. It’s a cooperative FPS in the style of its predecessors – but has been outsourced to 2K’s outfit in Australia. The same studio that once formed part of Irrational Games.

Up to four players will take on the roles of Handsome Jack’s four lieutenants – Athena the Gladiator, Wilhelm the Enforcer, Nisha the Lawbringer, and a weaponised claptrap: Fragtrap.

This isn’t a Handsome Jack we’ll necessarily recognise, though: for 2K’s prequel, the irreverent series villain will revert to his humble beginnings as a programmer named John. We’ll help him retrieve a powerful alien artefact on the moon of Elpis, and in Hyperion’s H-shaped base – both of which you might have spotted in Borderland 2’s skybox.

If you enjoy playing games with friends, check out ourten best co-op PC gamesfor more.

Elpis apparently features a low-gravity gimmick which should make for entertaining ragdoll antics – not to mention a crucial new mechanic in maintaining oxygen levels. We’ll need to loot O2 kits to survive – but can exploit our enemies’ over-reliance on flappy lungs with well placed shots to the goldfish bowls on their heads.

2K Australia were part of Irrational from their foundation – only splitting off from the studio after work concluded on the original BioShock. Since then, they’ve worked on BioShock 2, Infinite and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified – though no current projects have been announced.

Perhaps this one is headed for PAX East at the weekend – alongside whatever Blizzard’s Overwatch is. What do you lot reckon?