Across the board, theBorderlandsfranchise has always had a novel approach to marketing, and usually, its unique tactics have worked. Though its initial reveal trailer depicted the game as arun-of-the-mill drab-looking Sci-Fi shooter, the firstBorderlands' subsequent trailers did a great job of conveying the satirical, over-the-top tone that would go on to define the rest of the series.
From then on, everyBorderlandstrailer has embraced the series' tongue-in-cheek tone fully, reminding fans exactly whytheBorderlandsfranchisestands out in the video game market. But that’s not the only marketing trickBorderlandshas had up its sleeve over the last 14 years, and Naughty Dog might want to take note of one strategy in particular.
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The Last of Us Factions Should Follow in Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep’s Footsteps
All the way back in June 2013,Borderlands 2received a DLC titled Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. The fourth DLC ofBorderlands 2, this expansion sees players join Tiny Tina for a game of Bunkers and Badasses, this universe’s equivalent ofDungeons and Dragons. While the DLC added plenty of new enemies and features to the game, its general premise was the highlight of the experience. Tiny Tina took on the role of Bunker Master and acted as the narrator and creator of the adventure, being able to change environments and enemies on the fly.
Naturally, this unique premise had many fans longing for a full game set in one of Tiny Tina’s Bunkers and Badasses campaigns, and almost a decade later, they’d get just that. Announced back in November 2021,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlandswas a fully-fledged spin-off that tookAssault on Dragon Keep’s premiseand expanded on it in every way. In a stroke of genius, a few months afterTiny Tina’s Wonderlandswas announced, 2K released a standalone version of Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, now with the subtitle “A Wonderlands One-Shot,” tying the game in with the upcoming spin-off.
This was an excellent marketing move on 2K and Gearbox’s part. Releasing Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep as a standalone game not only allowed those who had never played it before to jump in for the first time and experience the great expansion, but also generate hype forTiny Tina’s Wonderlandsin the process, showing just how unique the upcoming spin-off could be, and how it differs from the mainlineBorderlandsseries. And for just $9.99 on launch, this standalone release also presumably made Gearbox and 2K a nice little bit of cash on the side while remaining a relatively inexpensive experience for players.
Naughty Dog is currently hard at work on itsLast of Us Multiplayergame, and though fans have been promised a proper look at the highly-anticipated spin-off later this year,The Last of Us Multiplayerprobably won’t be hitting store shelves anytime soon. Recently, the project was delayed, with reports saying that Bungie evaluated the game and felt it would not work as a live service title. Now, it will supposedly be reworked, with some wondering if it will ever release at all because of this. Fans likelt will not see it this year because of this announcement, and if it ever does release, it could be further away than expected.
In the meantime, Naughty Dog could take a page out ofBorderlands' playbook and re-releaseThe Last of UsFactionsas a standalone spin-off. While the multiplayer mode for the firstLast of Usisn’t often talked about in mainstream circles, there are a dedicated group of fans that still play it. If Naughty Dog released a standalone version ofTheLast of Us Factionsin the near future, it could achieve the same goals as Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, keeping fans satisfied with an intermediary release while also building hype for the upcomingLast of Us Multiplayergame, and highlighting the unique premise of the upcoming title.
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