Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands fuses Borderlands-style loot-shooting with D&D-inspired fantasy
March 23, 2022
Matt Cox is a game developer with 20 years of director and management experience spanning games, music production, and entertainment publications. Matt is currently Creative Director at Gearbox Software on Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, having previously directed the Bounty of Blood campaign DLC for Borderlands 3, and served as Lead Boss and NPC Designer on the game.
With a host of new environments and classes teased, including the Stabbomancer and the Brr-Zerke, fans of Borderlands have been eagerly awaiting the release of spin-off title Tiny Tina's Wonderlands for months.
Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, the D&D-inspired, tabletop-esque looter-shooter looks to offer the same chaotic energy that made the original DLC that inspired it—Assault on Dragon Keep—such a player-favorite.
We caught up with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Creative Director Matt Cox to find out more about the inspiration behind the game, how it was made, and what players can expect to encounter.
Developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games, the D&D-inspired, tabletop-esque looter-shooter looks to offer the same chaotic energy that made the original DLC that inspired it—Assault on Dragon Keep—such a player-favorite.
We caught up with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands Creative Director Matt Cox to find out more about the inspiration behind the game, how it was made, and what players can expect to encounter.
Did you have any unique goals coming into the project?
Matt Cox: Our main goal was to fully immerse the best of a Gearbox looter-shooter in a fantasy-inspired world. We have so many tabletop RPG fans, and the reception of the Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC made it clear to us that a full stand-alone fantasy looter-shooter was an obvious pursuit.
Now that we’ve been able to devote the time and resources to exploring what it means to create a looter-shooter in a high-fantasy setting, we’ve ended up with dozens of ideas directly inspired by classic tabletop mechanics and fantasy tropes.
This includes everything from a robust spellcasting system to a deep and unrestricted character customization. On top of that, we have multiclassing, skeleton armies, and so much more. We’ve been able to explore so many new creative avenues that wouldn’t have made sense in any of our previous games.
We were also excited to cast Tiny Tina as our Bunker Master. She’s an incredibly lovable but equally chaotic and unreliable narrator, and we really wanted that chaos to envelop the player’s adventure in unexpected ways. Creating those moments when Tina steps in to break the rules or otherwise shake up the player’s journey was truly a unique opportunity and a total creative joy.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' influences are pretty clear, with its Dungeons & Dragons setup. Are there any influences you drew from that may not be as obvious?
Cox: Oh, absolutely. If you look at the Overworld, you can probably sense that our team also loves JRPGs. If you look at some of the settings and enemies, you’ll notice we love classic high fantasy – everything from Lord of the Rings to Dragonriders to, like, Labyrinth! We wanted to create our own version of a fantasy setting that was more than just a pastiche of existing ideas, but at the same time, we wanted to pay homage to all these influences. The game starts with a lot of classic fantasy tropes, but the adventure gets weirder and more wonderful as you go. There are many more influences in the game, but those are best left discovered.
Cox: Oh, absolutely. If you look at the Overworld, you can probably sense that our team also loves JRPGs. If you look at some of the settings and enemies, you’ll notice we love classic high fantasy – everything from Lord of the Rings to Dragonriders to, like, Labyrinth! We wanted to create our own version of a fantasy setting that was more than just a pastiche of existing ideas, but at the same time, we wanted to pay homage to all these influences. The game starts with a lot of classic fantasy tropes, but the adventure gets weirder and more wonderful as you go. There are many more influences in the game, but those are best left discovered.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
In Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, players will go back and forth between a JRPG-like overworld and first-person shooter arenas. How did the team design the two very different styles of gameplay?
Cox: We wanted to create a living tabletop game board experience that was both interactive and a joyful way to travel from mission to mission and combat to combat. We also wanted to deliver a contrast in tone. The first-person action was the tone of the quest, and the Overworld was the layer that connected to the real-world fun of exploring a detailed tabletop. First-person mode is all about the shooting, casting, slashing, and character building. Overworld is about the first discovery of new areas, quests, and even bonuses with our Shrine challenges. With the goal of each experience being so clearly defined, making them feel distinct from one another was pretty clear—although it was a great amount of work. We spent a large chunk of time making sure the Overworld was a frictionless, rewarding experience that connected all the first-person adventures as smoothly as possible.
Cox: We wanted to create a living tabletop game board experience that was both interactive and a joyful way to travel from mission to mission and combat to combat. We also wanted to deliver a contrast in tone. The first-person action was the tone of the quest, and the Overworld was the layer that connected to the real-world fun of exploring a detailed tabletop. First-person mode is all about the shooting, casting, slashing, and character building. Overworld is about the first discovery of new areas, quests, and even bonuses with our Shrine challenges. With the goal of each experience being so clearly defined, making them feel distinct from one another was pretty clear—although it was a great amount of work. We spent a large chunk of time making sure the Overworld was a frictionless, rewarding experience that connected all the first-person adventures as smoothly as possible.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
Can you explain the team's process in implementing the transition between the two different styles?
Cox: Almost all first-person environments are accessed through the Overworld. When you’re done exploring a first-person map, you’ll load into the Overworld and travel to the next destination, stopping for small side quests, random encounters, caves, camps, and more for the opportunity to get extra chances at loot or to level up. You can even discover whole new environments like the snowy Mount Craw. This is all at the player’s discretion. The key is to leave control in players’ hands by letting them decide when to engage with an encounter they find on the Overworld map, or when to simply keep moving to the next plot quest. When they do decide to engage, the actual visual transition feels quick and seamless, so the experience continues on uninterrupted.
How did you come up with the idea for combining Borderlands-style of loot-shooting with Dungeons & Dragons?
Cox: Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is very much a spiritual spin-off of the Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC, which launched nearly a decade ago. Our enthusiasm for this idea has only grown since then, so, for us, the idea of bringing Borderlands-style shooting and looting into a fantasy setting was a given. That said, I want to be clear that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands stands on its own; you do not need to have played Dragon Keep or any other Gearbox game to enjoy Wonderlands. Borderlands fans will catch a few winks and nods for sure, but the story, setting, and most of the characters are entirely new.
Cox: Almost all first-person environments are accessed through the Overworld. When you’re done exploring a first-person map, you’ll load into the Overworld and travel to the next destination, stopping for small side quests, random encounters, caves, camps, and more for the opportunity to get extra chances at loot or to level up. You can even discover whole new environments like the snowy Mount Craw. This is all at the player’s discretion. The key is to leave control in players’ hands by letting them decide when to engage with an encounter they find on the Overworld map, or when to simply keep moving to the next plot quest. When they do decide to engage, the actual visual transition feels quick and seamless, so the experience continues on uninterrupted.
How did you come up with the idea for combining Borderlands-style of loot-shooting with Dungeons & Dragons?
Cox: Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is very much a spiritual spin-off of the Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep DLC, which launched nearly a decade ago. Our enthusiasm for this idea has only grown since then, so, for us, the idea of bringing Borderlands-style shooting and looting into a fantasy setting was a given. That said, I want to be clear that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands stands on its own; you do not need to have played Dragon Keep or any other Gearbox game to enjoy Wonderlands. Borderlands fans will catch a few winks and nods for sure, but the story, setting, and most of the characters are entirely new.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is related to the Borderlands series but isn't necessarily confined to its rules. How did that freedom influence development, and are there any specific things you were able to do that you'd like to call out?
Cox: There are definitely a few strong examples spanning both story and gameplay. The first thing that comes to mind is Tina herself, our Bunker Master who serves as part guide, part narrator for the player. Her unpredictable nature opened the door to all kinds of ideas as we were building out this new world. Her near-total disregard for the rules and penchant for chaos led her to allow for things like guns in a high-fantasy setting and the swapping of content right in front of the player just because she thought of something cooler. The possibilities are endless in a world built on fantasy and unpredictability.
There’s also spellcasting, of course. Spellcasting wouldn’t make much sense in Borderlands, but it’s a huge part of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Each spell is basically a mini-Action Skill, so they’re all-powerful, useful, and extremely satisfying. Once you really get comfortable with Wonderlands’ combat, you’ll be mixing spells with guns and melee in a fast-paced but fluid loop. There are many different types of casting and different spell effects, so players have a lot of choice when it comes to how spellcasting works with their build.
Cox: There are definitely a few strong examples spanning both story and gameplay. The first thing that comes to mind is Tina herself, our Bunker Master who serves as part guide, part narrator for the player. Her unpredictable nature opened the door to all kinds of ideas as we were building out this new world. Her near-total disregard for the rules and penchant for chaos led her to allow for things like guns in a high-fantasy setting and the swapping of content right in front of the player just because she thought of something cooler. The possibilities are endless in a world built on fantasy and unpredictability.
There’s also spellcasting, of course. Spellcasting wouldn’t make much sense in Borderlands, but it’s a huge part of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Each spell is basically a mini-Action Skill, so they’re all-powerful, useful, and extremely satisfying. Once you really get comfortable with Wonderlands’ combat, you’ll be mixing spells with guns and melee in a fast-paced but fluid loop. There are many different types of casting and different spell effects, so players have a lot of choice when it comes to how spellcasting works with their build.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
That brings me to the last thing I wanted to mention (though there are more I could bring up), which is multiclassing. When you start the game, you pick your base class, but as you progress, you’ll eventually be able to add a secondary class and start mixing and matching skills from both. We pulled this idea directly from classic tabletop RPGs, so it fits Wonderlands’ themes perfectly and gives players tons of exciting options. It’s something we felt strongly about including.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
How did the team approach this game's art direction and design?
Cox: Our Art Director, Adam May, had such an amazing vision for how to approach this hybrid of classical and chaotic fantasy. His team delivered a stellar variety of vistas, characters, and effects that carry us on this evolution from traditional fantasy at the beginning, to crazier takes on fantasy toward the end. From a high-level design perspective, we deliberately leaned into familiar fantasy tropes so that we could put our own spin on them, with that unique spin growing more outlandish as the game progresses, in concert with the art direction. You’ll see things like undead armies and knights in shining armor, but later, you’ll get land sharks and mushroom men. Having seen everything our art team has accomplished, we’re super excited for our fans to make their way through the campaign, major side quests, and to experience the huge variety of environments and enemies. I love our team’s imagination.
Cox: Our Art Director, Adam May, had such an amazing vision for how to approach this hybrid of classical and chaotic fantasy. His team delivered a stellar variety of vistas, characters, and effects that carry us on this evolution from traditional fantasy at the beginning, to crazier takes on fantasy toward the end. From a high-level design perspective, we deliberately leaned into familiar fantasy tropes so that we could put our own spin on them, with that unique spin growing more outlandish as the game progresses, in concert with the art direction. You’ll see things like undead armies and knights in shining armor, but later, you’ll get land sharks and mushroom men. Having seen everything our art team has accomplished, we’re super excited for our fans to make their way through the campaign, major side quests, and to experience the huge variety of environments and enemies. I love our team’s imagination.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
Assuming this uses a similar base to Borderlands 3, were you able to expand on that game technologically, and if so, what did you do to push the bar?
Cox: We extended our procedural approach to gun generation to new gear like Spells, Melee weapons, and Armor. Character creation was also built from the ground up, something not seen before in our previous titles. We also have a new third-person overworld, a living tabletop zone, where the player can seamlessly hop in and out of small, streamlined first-person combats in the form of random encounters, caves, and camps, all without a hard load.
Cox: We extended our procedural approach to gun generation to new gear like Spells, Melee weapons, and Armor. Character creation was also built from the ground up, something not seen before in our previous titles. We also have a new third-person overworld, a living tabletop zone, where the player can seamlessly hop in and out of small, streamlined first-person combats in the form of random encounters, caves, and camps, all without a hard load.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
What made Unreal Engine the best fit for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands?
Cox: Unreal Engine has always been a great foundation upon which to build all we want to do in our universes. With all we were able to accomplish with Borderlands 3, it was a no-brainer to build upon those successes.
Were there any specific Unreal Engine tools that helped considerably during development?
Cox: Our designers have extensive experience using Blueprints. From interactive objects to characters, AI, and level scripting, Blueprints have been instrumental from prototype to implementation.
How did you leverage the new power and capabilities of the latest generation of consoles?
Cox: We pride ourselves on delivering the best co-op experience possible, and the latest generation of consoles allow us to maintain high performance in online co-op as well as provide four-player split-screen couch co-op experiences, something very few games strive for. If you want visual fidelity, you can experience Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands in stunning 4K on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Are you particularly proud of any specific developmental achievements?
Cox: I think from a technical, artistic, and design perspective, the JRPG-esque approach to our Overworld is something never really seen before in a first-person shooter. Although I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished in unique game-within-a-game storytelling, combat, gorgeous art, and new features, I’m particularly proud of what we’ve achieved in the Overworld.
Cox: Unreal Engine has always been a great foundation upon which to build all we want to do in our universes. With all we were able to accomplish with Borderlands 3, it was a no-brainer to build upon those successes.
Were there any specific Unreal Engine tools that helped considerably during development?
Cox: Our designers have extensive experience using Blueprints. From interactive objects to characters, AI, and level scripting, Blueprints have been instrumental from prototype to implementation.
How did you leverage the new power and capabilities of the latest generation of consoles?
Cox: We pride ourselves on delivering the best co-op experience possible, and the latest generation of consoles allow us to maintain high performance in online co-op as well as provide four-player split-screen couch co-op experiences, something very few games strive for. If you want visual fidelity, you can experience Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands in stunning 4K on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Are you particularly proud of any specific developmental achievements?
Cox: I think from a technical, artistic, and design perspective, the JRPG-esque approach to our Overworld is something never really seen before in a first-person shooter. Although I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished in unique game-within-a-game storytelling, combat, gorgeous art, and new features, I’m particularly proud of what we’ve achieved in the Overworld.
Image courtesy of Gearbox Software
Thank you for your time. How can we learn more about Tiny Tina's Wonderlands?
Cox: To learn all about the game, you can visit playwonderlands.com—or you can just play the game when it launches on March 25!
Cox: To learn all about the game, you can visit playwonderlands.com—or you can just play the game when it launches on March 25!
Get Unreal Engine today!
Get the world’s most open and advanced creation tool.
With every feature and full source code access included, Unreal Engine comes fully loaded out of the box.
With every feature and full source code access included, Unreal Engine comes fully loaded out of the box.