May 18, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Borderlands STARTED by ripping off designs from CodeHunters, it only makes sense someone in charge would ok ripping off design work by another great artist.
December 13, 2024 at 2:32 AM
Borderlands STARTED by ripping off designs from CodeHunters, it only makes sense someone in charge would ok ripping off design work by another great artist.
Since the topic is AAA studios and "moodboard inspiration", I'd like to remind people that Borderlands used to look very generic until they saw this 2006 animation directed by Ben Hibon: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iO...
He was very vocal that Gearbox ripped him off:
web.archive.org/web/20121115...
He was very vocal that Gearbox ripped him off:
web.archive.org/web/20121115...
Codehunters | Future Shorts
YouTube video by LOST
www.youtube.com
May 15, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Since the topic is AAA studios and "moodboard inspiration", I'd like to remind people that Borderlands used to look very generic until they saw this 2006 animation directed by Ben Hibon: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iO...
He was very vocal that Gearbox ripped him off:
web.archive.org/web/20121115...
He was very vocal that Gearbox ripped him off:
web.archive.org/web/20121115...
Reminds me of how Gearbox stole Borderlands art style from Codehunters. Sorry you got done so dirty.
May 15, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Reminds me of how Gearbox stole Borderlands art style from Codehunters. Sorry you got done so dirty.
Are you gonna argue that Codehunters stole the style from Jet Set Radio Future?
May 15, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Are you gonna argue that Codehunters stole the style from Jet Set Radio Future?
If you play Borderlands 4 for long enough, the frame rate will fall lower than the short film CODEHUNTERS they stole the art style from
September 20, 2025 at 9:55 PM
If you play Borderlands 4 for long enough, the frame rate will fall lower than the short film CODEHUNTERS they stole the art style from
Hey, remember when Borderlands more or less just 'took' the vibe from this animated short?
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo
Codehunters
YouTube video by webcutsberlin
youtu.be
June 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Hey, remember when Borderlands more or less just 'took' the vibe from this animated short?
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo
🎬📽😎🤓 Codehunters, animação extraordinária que conta a história de um mundo pós-apocalíptico que precisa desesperadamente de um herói.
#BRASIL #RIODEJANEIRO #NITEROI #ANIMACAO #HALLOWEEN #halloween2024
youtu.be/JXoeT0W1waA?...
#BRASIL #RIODEJANEIRO #NITEROI #ANIMACAO #HALLOWEEN #halloween2024
youtu.be/JXoeT0W1waA?...
Codehunters
YouTube video by codehuntersMTV
youtu.be
October 31, 2024 at 7:58 AM
🎬📽😎🤓 Codehunters, animação extraordinária que conta a história de um mundo pós-apocalíptico que precisa desesperadamente de um herói.
#BRASIL #RIODEJANEIRO #NITEROI #ANIMACAO #HALLOWEEN #halloween2024
youtu.be/JXoeT0W1waA?...
#BRASIL #RIODEJANEIRO #NITEROI #ANIMACAO #HALLOWEEN #halloween2024
youtu.be/JXoeT0W1waA?...
It's not just a similar art style. That's minimising the fact that there's 1:1 shots and character designs taken directly from Codehunters.
They overhauled the art of Borderlands to look like Codehunters when the game was 3/4 done - well after Codehunters came out in 2006.
They overhauled the art of Borderlands to look like Codehunters when the game was 3/4 done - well after Codehunters came out in 2006.
May 16, 2025 at 4:28 AM
It's not just a similar art style. That's minimising the fact that there's 1:1 shots and character designs taken directly from Codehunters.
They overhauled the art of Borderlands to look like Codehunters when the game was 3/4 done - well after Codehunters came out in 2006.
They overhauled the art of Borderlands to look like Codehunters when the game was 3/4 done - well after Codehunters came out in 2006.
And when Randy Pitchford was directly asked about whether the studio ripped off Codehunters, he deflected: "he's pointing at EA and Valve ... to say that Gearbox isn't the only developer that has taken inspiration from other animated works."
kotaku.com/separated-at...
kotaku.com/separated-at...
Separated At Birth: Borderlands And CodeHunters
A post on reddit.com has fans pondering the connection between Borderlands, a comic-shaded video game that begins with a bus trip through the wasteland, and CodeHunters, a comic-shaded animated short ...
kotaku.com
May 16, 2025 at 4:32 AM
And when Randy Pitchford was directly asked about whether the studio ripped off Codehunters, he deflected: "he's pointing at EA and Valve ... to say that Gearbox isn't the only developer that has taken inspiration from other animated works."
kotaku.com/separated-at...
kotaku.com/separated-at...
Also, just to further that them switching their art to copy Codehunters helped them: "Didn't hear about borderlands until the art change." - quote from the Polygon forums from 2010 polycount.com/discussion/6...
Borderlands and Codehunters- Too Close? - Page 2
I think we were quite excited by the eye at the end of the trailer, if memory serves.
polycount.com
May 16, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Also, just to further that them switching their art to copy Codehunters helped them: "Didn't hear about borderlands until the art change." - quote from the Polygon forums from 2010 polycount.com/discussion/6...
(For anyone curious, this video came out TWO YEARS before Borderland's release. The creator has confirmed he has never been contacted or paid by gearbox in any way. youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo )
Codehunters
YouTube video by webcutsberlin
youtu.be
September 18, 2026 at 4:05 AM
(For anyone curious, this video came out TWO YEARS before Borderland's release. The creator has confirmed he has never been contacted or paid by gearbox in any way. youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo )
#78. Codehunters
Would be cool if we ever got a feature-length movie made in this style, and also if I could find a version of this short that's in a quality higher than "potato."
Would be cool if we ever got a feature-length movie made in this style, and also if I could find a version of this short that's in a quality higher than "potato."
February 5, 2025 at 6:34 PM
#78. Codehunters
Would be cool if we ever got a feature-length movie made in this style, and also if I could find a version of this short that's in a quality higher than "potato."
Would be cool if we ever got a feature-length movie made in this style, and also if I could find a version of this short that's in a quality higher than "potato."
I'm not sure there's a reasonable explanation for publishing a "behind-the-scenes" on Borderlands' artstyle that completely elides the Codehunters plagiarism controversy
gameinformer.com/2025/09/01/t...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
gameinformer.com/2025/09/01/t...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of The Art-Style Swap That Saved Borderlands 1
The developers behind the original Borderlands discuss their last-second Hail Mary to change the course of the franchise.
gameinformer.com
September 1, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I'm not sure there's a reasonable explanation for publishing a "behind-the-scenes" on Borderlands' artstyle that completely elides the Codehunters plagiarism controversy
gameinformer.com/2025/09/01/t...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
gameinformer.com/2025/09/01/t...
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
I thought they stole the whole style from that YouTube video Codehunters?
September 2, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I thought they stole the whole style from that YouTube video Codehunters?
borderlands has some hatching in the textures in the environments themselves, but I don't have a borderlands folder of screenshots to dig through atm.
I assume you've seen where borderlands came from, right?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iO...
I assume you've seen where borderlands came from, right?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iO...
Codehunters | Future Shorts
YouTube video by LOST
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:00 PM
borderlands has some hatching in the textures in the environments themselves, but I don't have a borderlands folder of screenshots to dig through atm.
I assume you've seen where borderlands came from, right?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iO...
I assume you've seen where borderlands came from, right?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2iO...
Not the reason I hate Borderlands, but the reason I will never buy one again:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
Codehunters - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
June 26, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Not the reason I hate Borderlands, but the reason I will never buy one again:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codehun...
With the new Borderlands trailer out, now’s a great time to revisit (or learn about for the first time) Codehunters - the animated short that Gearbox blatantly “borrowed” from. Enjoy.
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo?...
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo?...
Codehunters
Webcuts.07 - Internet Film Fest BerlinWinner "Best Design"
youtu.be
February 22, 2024 at 1:59 AM
With the new Borderlands trailer out, now’s a great time to revisit (or learn about for the first time) Codehunters - the animated short that Gearbox blatantly “borrowed” from. Enjoy.
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo?...
youtu.be/OmeP1YkaeTo?...
Wait, so you're telling me that in CA, all cars have to pass the... BAR exam?
Also I love the Codehunters/Borderlands styling, it looks great!
Also I love the Codehunters/Borderlands styling, it looks great!
June 27, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Wait, so you're telling me that in CA, all cars have to pass the... BAR exam?
Also I love the Codehunters/Borderlands styling, it looks great!
Also I love the Codehunters/Borderlands styling, it looks great!
You know... I haven't seen anything this brazenly greasy since Randy Pitchford stole the visual aesthetic for the original Borderlands...
#FizzVsGaming
#FizzVsGaming
May 16, 2025 at 2:18 AM
You know... I haven't seen anything this brazenly greasy since Randy Pitchford stole the visual aesthetic for the original Borderlands...
#FizzVsGaming
#FizzVsGaming
Alright, @gameinformer.com, do you want to try again? Maybe actually interview Ben Hibon this time?
Ahead of the launch of Borderlands 4, we spoke to the team behind the first Borderlands game to learn the behind-the-scenes story of the drastic art-style swap that saved the game. Read here: gameinformer.com/2025/08/28/t...
September 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Alright, @gameinformer.com, do you want to try again? Maybe actually interview Ben Hibon this time?