Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 game to release as a new IP

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 raised controversy among franchise fans for its apparent departure from the established tone, and Gearbox apparently agrees - the game-formerly-known-as will release as a brand new IP.

At Gearbox's PAX Prime 2012 panel, the developer revealed that the game announced as Furious 4 at E3 2011 has evolved far enough that a decision was made to drop the Brothers in Arms property and develop it as a whole new property.

"Our Pokémon has evolved. It has different powers," Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford said.

Pitchford explained that by dropping the Brothers in Arms name, the development team suddenly felt free to try out all sorts of new features and ideas. He likened the result to Borderlands, a hybrid shooter RPG - but didn't say that's what the prototype game is.

Apparently, Brothers in Arms fans will be able to pick up small hints and tributes in-game which will reveal the game's origins, but otherwise, it's to be considered an entirely separate project. Gearbox hasn't revealed any details of the new property, its release date or publisher, but expected to re-announce the game at some stage.

This isn't the end of the Brothers in Arms franchise; Gearbox will reveal more at its community day on September 15.

The game once known as Furious 4 had an Inglorious Basterds-like humorous tone, which didn't sit well with fans of the franchise. Gearbox described the title as a test-bed for new ideas, but even so critics maintained doubt - especially as Ubisoft let the game's trademarks lapse. The title was originally scheduled for a 2012 release but obviously that's not happening.

Thanks, Kotaku.