Don’t let your gaming campaign end up like the Borderlands movie - The Invaders

The recent Borderlands movie adaptation has quite clearly bombed. The movie is getting wrecked by critics, only scoring 9% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is said to have made only $9.3 million globally at the box office. To put this in perspective: Deadpool & Wolverine has surpassed the $1 billion mark. Borderlands has become an immense disappointment, which it did not have to be.

How the Borderlands movie squandered its potential

The Borderlands franchise is a sprawling universe spanning seven canon games and spin-offs, plus a couple of non-canon titles. It's a world of batshit insanity, populated by unforgettable characters that fans like myself have grown to love. All filmmakers had to do was understand the source material and treat it with respect. But instead, Hollywood had to flex its "creative muscles" and churn out some half-baked original story that barely resembles the source material.

The result is a masterclass on how to ignore your fanbase and dismiss meticulously crafted source material. If there's one thing this trainwreck excels at, it's forgetting to put the player first. Combine this with subpar writing, shoddy CGI, miscast characters, and a forgettable plot, and you have one of the biggest movie disappointments of 2024.

Hollywood and its fear of the R-rating

At a first glance we see the distinct art style and unique world we know from the games, but then it falls flat. The diabolical humor, iconic characters, and over-the-top violence are nowhere to be found. The movie managed to mess up these three most important elements. This just isn't Borderlands. All because studios fear making R-rated movies. This stands for ‘Restricted’ and means that people under 17 require an accompanying parent or adult guardian.

For some reason, studios just can't grasp that R-rated content can rake in serious revenue. When you're adapting a legendary franchise built on violence, set in a post-apocalyptic hellscape ruled by ruthless corporations, and you decide to neuter the violence, humor, and characters, you end up with a soulless husk. One that might look like Borderlands on the poster, but falls flatter than a skag pancake when the cameras start rolling.

Deadpool & Wolverine proves that fear is a poor adviser

Studios that are willing to take this “risk” show that fearing an R-rating is completely unfounded. Proof of that is right around the corner, as the previously mentioned (and highly successful) Deadpool & Wolverine is an R-rated movie. This box office hit also suffers from a forgettable plot, but nonetheless raked in a cool billion dollars at the box office. What's their secret sauce? They actually gave a damn about the fans and source material.

Marvel and Disney gave the fans what they wanted. They put the player first. Ryan Reynolds embodies the Merc with a Mouth perfectly, just like Hugh Jackman is the definitive Wolverine. The studio gave them all the means and freedom to be the most lore-accurate versions of these ‘heroes’. The result is an R-rated feast filled with raunchy humor, extreme violence, and a whole lot of swearing.

Don’t play games with your audience

Deadpool & Wolverine is far from perfect, but the most crucial elements are there, elevating even the most basic story into something fans actually want to watch. The lesson here? Listen to your audience, stay true to the source material, and for the love of all that's holy, don't water down the very elements that made your franchise successful in the first place.

This also applies to brands, especially if they want to be successful in the world of gaming. Gamers are fiercely loyal and don’t appreciate it if you waste the potential of what they love. You need to listen to the community and respect your audience. Only then can you deliver on what they genuinely want and enhance their experience. If you do, they will embrace and elevate your brand.

And definitely don’t shy away from games like Borderlands. Just take a look at what Ballantines did and experience how it’s done:

Don’t let your gaming campaign become a Borderlands movie; make it Deadpool

You need to show them you care. Show them that you understand their passion. Or as we call it: radically put players first. Find the right connection between your brand and the world of gaming, give it the love it deserves, and become a part of the community. There’s always a way to do so, and we can help you unlock this value. Just get in touch or check out our work to see how it’s done.