Gearbox releases Borderlands for iOS, mobile games continue to dominate market

Borderlands, the hit post-apocalyptic first person shooter role playing game, is being released for iOS devices and will be able to be played on iPads and other Apple mobile devices.

Borderlands Legends will be a smaller version of the console and PC game, bringing yet another blockbuster gaming title to mobile platforms.

While the release has not been officially announced by its developer, Gearbox, an advertisement appeared for Borderlands Legends in the Borderlands 2 digital strategy guide and was posted to the official Gearbox forum.

“Borderlands Legends is the latest edition to the borderlands franchise, specifically designed for mobile and tablet. Control Mordecai, Lilith, Brick and Roland and take out the oncoming waves of enemies,” read the advertisement.

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While mobile games are generally a hit with consumers, the core gaming market fears the profitability of mobile games may make more complicated and more involved PC titles less desirable for developers. Indeed, others argue that as developers scramble to develop quick, profitable mobile versions of games, resources are taken away from the development of their more robust console and PC titles.

Reactions to the mobile version of Borderlands were mixed on internet forums.

Earlier this year, competitive gamers and hardcore players feared the worst when a letter from the World Cyber Games (WCG) was leaked by cadred.org, stating that the international professional gaming competition would be switching from time honored competitive PC titles to mobile games exclusively.

For many years, WCG provided a rare opportunity for competitive gamers outside of Asia to compete at a high level and for a significant amount of prize money. For many, the proposed switch to mobile gaming was a betrayal of 12 years of professional PC competition.

“In recent years, the gaming and IT trends have been moving so fast. In the current status of gaming and IT industry, one of the most remarkable information to us was the mobile shipments have exceeded the PC shipments,” read the leaked letter signed by Brad Lee, CEO of WCG.

The letter became the manifestation of competitive gamers’ worst fear. Luckily for professional gamers, WCG responded to the outcry and will return to their usual competitive titles at this year’s competition in Kunshan, China.

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With Boderlands Legends, the profitability of mobile gaming is still evident. Many of today’s players at gaming’s core cut their teeth on extremely competitive titles like StarCraft: Brood War and Counter-Strike 1.6 and have remained loyal to those titles. With the next generation of gamers growing up on iPads and smart phones, the presence of mobile games on the market may only continue to grow, marginalizing gaming’s competitive core.