Cancelled MMO spin-off Borderlands Online is playable once again, and the team behind the unofficial project thankfully didn't use any genAI to get it running

Borderlands Online, an MMO spin-off intended for a free-to-play release in China, has resurfaced after being dormant for a year. The game, which was to be an exclusive Chinese offering, has been resurrected by an enthusiastic team of modders. This unofficial project, known in the modding community as BLOL, presented significant challenges.

The initial hurdle was accessing the game beyond the login screen, but the most daunting task was translating the game into English. This required customizing the user interface and HUD elements due to the differences in character formats between languages. The modding team had to work intensively, a task that EpicNNG, one of the modders, described as being a million times more challenging than his usual projects.

The modding team had initially planned to release the game by the end of the year but had to expedite the process due to the rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence. The modders opted against using AI, a decision that set them apart from other unofficial projects that have been using this technology. While the modders have received unsubstantiated information suggesting that publisher Take-Two is aware of the project, they have received no official confirmation.

The modding team has stated that they will cease their efforts if asked to do so by the publisher. Although the project is unlikely to be revived due to its age, modders believe it will eventually be taken down. For those interested, the time to get involved with Borderlands Online is now, as the project is playable once again.