John Azzilonna, the Circle’s newest member, was privy last week to an early peek at Battleborn, the new game from Gearbox and 2K that will launch sometime next year. As Azzilonna interviews the game’s creative director and then, the narrative lead, you’ll see that what’s compelling about the game is twofold.

Firstly, the characters created are inspired by all forms of games and pop culture, so you’ll see nods to everything from Lord of the Rings to SoulCalibur as you play.

Secondly, there’s a MOBA element – from a first person perspective, no less – that may well spawn a new e-sport. Yet as Circle founder Harold Goldberg cautions in the piece, the game is still in the pre-alpha stage of development. We don’t know exactly how it will turn out.

Nevertheless, what you’ll witness via the deft video editing of Gregg DellaRocca, looks promising.