Borderlands 4 'Confirmed' By Gearbox Boss
A movie AND the chance of a new game? It looks like Gearbox Software is ready to mine the potential of Pandora with Randy Pitchford "confirming" that Borderlands 4 is in the works at the studio. Forget Diablo 4 or BioShock 4, what we really want to know is, where is Borderlands 4? Recent rumours have swirled that instead of another main entry, some sort of spin-off is about to be announced. As with all these things, there's more to the story.
Since 2009, the Borderlands games have kept us entertained with their kooky comedy and signature style. Delivering a colourful cast of rag-tag heroes and villains, these loot shooters are a hybrid of Doom, Diablo, and sci-fi Westerns. It's a formula that's worked, but with Borderlands 3 bowing out in 2019, players are demanding g to know what comes next. With the aforementioned movie starring Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black, it's clear Gearbox has no plans to abandon Borderlands.
Has Borderlands 4 been confirmed?
Posting on Twitter, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford debunked whispers that the company is assisting on a Borderlands spin-off. Instead of doing the usual "no comment", Pitchford cleared everything up and gave the surprise tease of Borderlands 4. Gearbox is currently hiring 53 new members of staff, with Pitchford confirming they're "working on the big one". It comes off the back of confirmation that "Gearbox is the lead dev of any future games in the Borderlands franchise (or Borderlands adjacent games) with no co-development".
It sounds like Pitchford keen to keep the company's grip on the franchise won't be handing it over to anyone else in the near future. This is great news for gamers who're sick of seeing their favourite franchises shopped around between different developers with mixed results - we're looking at you Call of Duty. Pitchford didn't offer any other insight into what he means, but either way, we're stoked.
When could we see Borderlands 4?
If you aren't convinced Pitchford is talking about Borderlands 4, it's been noted that he used the exact same reference to the "big one" when Borderlands 3 was first announced in 2015. Considering it was a full four years from that now-iconic tweet until we got to play the third main game, we "could" (emphasis on the could) see Borderlands 4 around the 2025 mark. Whatever is going on, Pitchford settling pulses after Gearbox was bought by Embracer Group earlier this year.
The clever thing about Borderlands is that it's cultivated a whole galaxy of characters and stories that intertwine. Although Lilith, Handsome Jack, and Claptrap are the de facto leads, there's no single main character. Even if Borderlands 3 seemed to wrap up the story in a neat bow, it's easy to imagine the story continuing in any number of ways. We've already seen Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel try this, but in terms of pure game-selling potential, an official Borderlands 4 is the sensible route to take. We can't wait to see Gearbox crack open the vault with what's next.
Images via Gearbox Software
