Efforts Intensify to Restore Borderlands Online as Archivists Seek Community Support

Alright, buckle up. This is kinda wild, but there’s this ongoing saga — you know, one of those “people on the internet doing something interesting that might not go anywhere but is still cool” things. We’re talking about Borderlands Online, which, if you know it, you know it. Anyway, there’s a crew trying to make it playable again and they’re like calling all coders — if you mess around with DNSpy or Unity Ripper, they need you to help crack the character selection screen. And yes, it’s as nerdy as it sounds.

So, last time we caught up with dude EpicNNG — he’s like a YouTuber-slash-game-designer-slash-dataminer. A real multi-tool kinda guy. He got to the class selection screen but now his team’s kinda stuck. Not because they don’t know what they’re doing; more like they don’t have the time. Like having all the puzzle pieces scattered on the floor and just staring blankly at them. He’s confident though: “We’ve got this game, totally — full version, yep. Just a matter of when we crack it.” Easier said than done, buddy!

Meanwhile, they’re all diving into old Chinese Borderlands sites, trying to dig up ways to play. The stuff they’re finding? Broken links and nasty viruses. Classic internet, right? Bottom line, don’t jump into this unless you’re tech-savvy. Like, seriously.

There’s this big yada-yada disclaimer that it’s all about archiving. They’re not trying to tick off 2K or anything — no interest in poking that litigious bear. And they’ve even acknowledged that, hey, with Borderlands 4 out, 2K might freak out and drop a cease and desist. So they’re hoping more helpers join the cause before they’re potentially shut down. EpicNNG is cool with this being talked about — they get the risks. At least he told me so himself in DMs, and I guess he’s prepared for any drama.

Time is ticking though. Activision, remember when they zapped the H2M Call of Duty mod? They’re afraid 2K might do the same to them if they’re not quick enough. Messing with a long-dead, Chinese-only MMORPG? That’s a unicorn in game archiving. So, if you have mad skills, maybe jump in? But if you’re like me, better just wish ‘em luck and stay outta the way. Let the experts do their thing.