Gearbox Reveals ‘Version 2’ Borderlands 3 ECHOcast Twitch Extension
Given Borderlands’ reputation as a multiplayer-focused experience, it’s no surprise to see how much Gearbox is focusing on multiplayer for Borderlands 3. The game will feature a more fully-fledged PvP duelling mode, for instance, and players can now turn instanced loot on and off. However, Gearbox is also catering to the game’s potential streaming audience; a major new part of the industry that didn’t exist during the release of previous games. As such, the studio recently unveiled “Version 2” of their new Borderlands 3 Twitch extension – ECHOcast.
What is the Borderlands 3 ECHOcast Twitch Extension?
The latest version of the ECHOcast Twitch extension was recently unveiled during a Gearbox panel at GuardianCon. There, developers also spoke about the game’s new Ping system. An early version of the ECHOcast extension was used during the Gameplay Reveal Event in May, but the final version of the extension will be much more developed. This was detailed in a trailer subsequently posted online by the studio. As shown, viewers will be able to use ECHOcast to see the streamer’s equipped gear, their inventory, and their skills; all information which players can view in the extension itself.
“Version 2” of ECHOcast includes; “mobile support, subscriber bonuses that will increase your chance of winning loot during streams if you’re a subscriber, and a couple of different events that empower you to impact the streamer’s game”. Indeed, in addition to giving viewers the chance to win Borderlands 3 loot while watching a stream, which can then be sent to their own game by linking their Twitch and Shift accounts, there are two kinds of event which appear in the extension.
The first of these are the “Moxxi’s Mixer Events”. These allow viewers to contribute Twitch Bits towards a cocktail and vote on the ingredients. When complete, the cocktail provides a buff or debuff to the streamer in-game. The second event type are Badass Viewer Events. These events will spawn a badass enemy into the game named after a viewer. Plus, the audience can even vote on how the enemy will behave!