The final update for Gearbox's failed hero shooter Battleborn arrived last week, tweaking game mechanics slightly, fixing a few bugs, and adding some new skins and taunts before closing the door on continued development. It did not have a good run.

Gearbox Software's Battleborn shifts into the twilight years of its lifespan, as the developer announced today that there is no planned content after the upcoming fall update.

Starting today, anyone with an Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or PC can download the free trial of Gearbox Software's hero shooter Battleborn, gaining instant access to all of the game's competitive multiplayer content. It's like it's gone half free-to-play.

Hi-Rez Studio's hero shooter caught some flak last year for looking and feeling a lot like Overwatch, but it's still managed to maintain a healthy presence on Steam's most-played games list. We'll see if the trend continues as Paladins launches into free open beta on PS4 and Xbox One.

Battleborn Day, the fan-led event aimed at drumming up more players for Gearbox's troubled hero shooter, managed to drastically increase the number of players in the game over the November 12 weekend, but the numbers were still low and the spike didn't last.

Tired of seeing a perfectly good game plagued with low server populations, the Battleborn Reddit has organised a special day to help new players get into the game, and the devs are backing them up with special bonuses throughout the weekend.

There's a very good reason Battleborn's latest hero, Kid Ultra, looks like a children's toy. He technically is.

Fans of Battleborn's story operations that are sick to death of playing the initial set of scenarios get a reprieve today with Attikus and the Thrall Rebellion, a retelling of the third Thrall uprising with a little film noir flair.

The underperforming hero shooter Battleborn will go free-to-play within the couple of months, a person familiar with plans for the game told Kotaku. Word is the announcement will come by mid-November, but that could change. (We hear the move has already been delayed a couple of times.)

So there you are, minding your own business, when the CEO of Giant Game Publisher approaches you with an offer: he wants you to lead the development of a brand new entry in That First Person Shooter that he makes, and he wants you to make sure it's fun to play. How do you make sure it's fun to play?

The third of five promised free characters arrived today for Battleborn, the game that makes me sad every time I write about it. He's a pink bird. They have also revealed a kid in a mech suit as character number four. That's pretty cool, right?

The world of video games is a tough business, and for those working on Battleborn I can't imagine it's been particularly kind. Gearbox's latest MOBA-esque shooter didn't get the most glowing reception, and its player base has shrunk at a startling rate.

Perhaps in a bid to try and revive the game's flagging popularity, 2K has given Battleborn its biggest discount yet -- by way of a Humble Bundle. And there are plenty of other solid games available as well too.

I really enjoy Battleborn, but it's not doing well. Overshadowed and misunderstood, its popularity is off the low end of most charts. The addition of premium currency to purchase special taunts and skins is exactly not the shot in the arm the game needs.

The stars were never really aligned for Gearbox Software's 'hero shooter', MOBA-esque Battleborn. Between a generic and all too forgettable name, a release that coincided far too closely with the overpowering hype of Blizzard's similar offering in Overwatch and a price that people just aren't used to paying for MOBA-style games, Battleborn really isn't doing well.

Matias Tapia is an illustrator and concept artist from Chile who most recently worked on Gearbox's Battleborn.

If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that I'd be reviewing Battleborn in May, I would have asked them "Which one is Battleborn again?" Now that I've spent a couple dozen hours in Gearbox Software's latest I think I've figured it out.

Battleborn has eight story missions available to play either alone or with a group online. I have completed six. The Saboteur is the seventh, and I'm having a hell of a time with it. I am not alone.

Yesterday I complained about not being able to replay the animated intro and prologue mission in Battleborn. Now I can, thanks to a game update so stealthy I didn't even have to reboot.

Battleborn's prologue mission begins with a gorgeous animated sequence, followed by an excellent single-player story mission. Then it goes away.