2K and Gearbox have announced a partnership with the Academy of Art University to create an animated Borderlands short film. Through a new program known as the Borderlands Cooperative, 2K and Gearbox will provide resources to help students create the film before the end of 2013, and students involved will have the opportunity to interview for an internship at 2K.
Our interns don’t fetch coffee. They roll up their sleeves and get on the job training.
“During the spring semester, teams of students will create original short stories that take place inside the Borderlands universe,” 2K explains. “Any student, regardless of their discipline, can form a team and submit an original storyboard for consideration. A panel of Academy of Art University, 2K and Gearbox judges will select one story to become part of the Borderlands mythos, and the team behind that story will have the opportunity to interview for the internship.” Once a story has been selected by judges, animation students will work on it this summer through the fall.
“This partnership is a natural fit for 2K, Gearbox and the Academy of Art University,” 2K senior vice president of marketing Sarah Anderson told IGN. “The Academy's mission is to prepare students for 21st century careers by providing real world experiences, and that’s exactly what the Borderlands Cooperative is all about.”
Regarding the internship, Anderson noted that “the students responsible for the storyboard that’s selected to be animated will have the opportunity to interview for an internship at 2K. Our interns don’t fetch coffee. They roll up their sleeves and get on the job training and as such, one student will have an internship tailored to their interests and discipline so that they can get the most out of the experience."
“We design our courses in a way that puts students in a position where they have to think of all aspects of running a business,” Academy of Art University storyboarding professor Shaun Featherstone added. “In this case, the publisher and video game developers are looking to our class as they would a real firm."
There are hundreds of hard-working animators in the industry who haven’t had an opportunity to work on one of the most popular video games in the world, and these students are getting that.
"Students have to not only come up with the creative, but determine what they need to get the job done, solve problems, work as a team, present to the client, and meet deadlines under extreme pressure. These are not homework deadlines. These are real. It is about as real world as it gets. There are hundreds of hard-working animators in the industry who haven’t had an opportunity to work on one of the most popular video games in the world, and these students are getting that opportunity before entering the profession."
In a separate statement, Gearbox president Randy Pitchford added “we are thrilled that our Borderlands universe has inspired so much creativity. We are happy to offer the Academy of Art University access to our digital assets so that its students' creativity can be harnessed into positive career development efforts and, if we're lucky, the creation of some great content that every Borderlands fan can enjoy."
The short film is expected to be revealed later this year. Borderlands 2, meanwhile, will receive a new Vault Hunter as DLC soon.
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
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