It refers to a skill that lets you help out a friend who ”suck at first-person shooters” by letting them be a bit more liberal with their weapon accuracy. Randy Pitchford has been dragged into the ruckus.
The thinking behind the skill tree is to let someone who isn’t so good at shooting ”understand the game and to play” with those who are. It effectively makes up the skill short fall.
Controversy has whipped up as the comment is branded sexist: ”The design team was looking at the concept art and thought, you know what, this is actually the cutest character we’ve ever had. I want to make, for the lack of a better term, the girlfriend skill tree,” described John Hemingway to Eurogamer.
“This is, I love Borderlands and I want to share it with someone, but they suck at first-person shooters. Can we make a skill tree that actually allows them to understand the game and to play the game? That’s what our attempt with the Best Friends Forever skill tree is.”
The Internet (by which I mean twitter) went nuclear. Gearbox Software boss Randy Pitchford quickly entered the scene and declared that Borderlands 2 ”does NOT have a girlfriend mode. Anyone that says otherwise is misinformed or trying to stir up something that isn’t there,” via his twitter account. “The future DLC Mechromancer class has a skill tree that makes it easier for less skilled coop partners (any gender!) to play and be useful.”
”I didn’t know it was a nickname. It’s not even a thing – just a skill built from the idea of playing coop with noob friends.”
”There is no universe where Hemmingway is a sexist - all the women at Gearbox would beat his and anyone else’s ass.”
Borderlands 2 releases on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC September 18th in the US, 21st in EU.
