Latest news with #GearboxSoftware
Geek Culture
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Borderlands 4' Goes Back To Series Roots, Even As Gearbox Software Expands Core Concepts
In the crowded first-person shooter (FPS) genre filled with overly serious military simulators, hectic multiplayer PvP experiences, and nostalgic boomer shooters, one franchise stands out and above because of the absolute nonsense it brings to the battlefield – Gearbox Software's Borderlands . While many IPs struggle to find that balance between providing an engaging narrative alongside solid gameplay fundamentals, while not being too reliant on a multiplayer aspect to keep a player engaged in the long run, Borderlands' three mainline entries and two spin-offs have provided an addictive gameplay loop alongside an engaging narrative to boot, balancing equal parts humour and drama. Granted, some changes have sat better with fans since its 2009 debut, especially with the last mainline entry, 2019's Borderlands 3 , drawing criticism for its writing, in part due to the game's influencer-like main villain duo, the Calypso Twins leading the game's overall tone which tried to cater to a target audience that didn't exist. Well, fans would be glad to know that the criticisms did not go unnoticed by the studio, because with its upcoming sequel, Borderlands 4 , the studio is going all out to ensure that the highly anticipated outing not only makes an effort to ground the series to a level that fans can appreciate. ' Borderlands has always been in the borderland between drama and comedy, there's its centre line that has always been serious, and on the fringes it was ridiculous,' explains Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford during an exclusive interview with Geek Culture alongside an accompanying preview session. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford (far left), Gearbox Global Creative Executive Officer Andrew Reiner (far right) 'But it's neither, it's never been either a drama or a comedy, but it's both of that. It's this weird thing in between, and that's what Borderlands is, it's always the in-between space of things that don't belong together.' As a series, Borderlands has always leveraged its humour as a selling point, constantly ramping up the ridiculousness with every entry, and while this growth has seen its share of hits and misses, the team has taken it all as a learning experience. 'I think Borderlands 1 was probably the most serious version of Borderlands , and Borderlands 3 was probably the most ridiculous.' Pitchford adds, 'The more we've done, the more experience we have, and I think we now know the right place to dial in Borderlands 4 for where we are at this time and place, and that's where we're at now.' At the core of the Borderlands experience lies its jokes, an area where the third entry unfortunately fell flat due to its focus on quantity over quality. To this end, the game's narrative director, Sam Winkler, previously teased that the game would feature 'more situational' humour this time around, a point that we asked Pitchford to elaborate on. 'In the past, there was a moment when we felt like we would do a lot of jokes at once, because different jokes would hit for different people, and because not everyone has the same taste and humour, so we thought we'd just machine gun it,' Pitchford explains. 'And that kind of works, because if you tell 20 jokes, one of them will hit, but there's also something to be said for the experience of feeling the 19 that didn't.' 'So I think in this context, we've been a lot more surgical and measured this time around,' he adds. 'I think what Sam was speaking to is a better coordination between narrative storytelling and writing with natural elements like the environment, the situation and gameplay construction. And I think that's a really cool thing.' To put this into context, an example of the Bloodwing fight in Borderlands 2 was brought up. For the uninitiated, Bloodwing was the loyal companion of Mordecai, one of the four main characters in the first game, who was unfortunately captured and mutated by the second game's villain, Handsome Jack, forcing both Mordecai and the player character to fight and kill the corrupted beast, a moment that served as a significant emotional moment in the game. As messed up as the situation may seem, there was something innately humorous about the whole situation, infusing the series with a special kind of dark comedy that makes a player question why they were forced to fight such a well-known character, building on equal parts astonishment and disbelief in the moment to make players crack a regretful smile. According to Pitchford, it's this natural (and sometimes unintentional) integration of humour into moment-to-moment gameplay that will drive Borderlands 4's comedy forward. 'Every experience adds up,' says Pitchford, who admits that even though the development of Borderlands 4 was not affected by the rather poor reception of the third title, both its criticism and praise and their effect on the team were impossible to deny, who used these learning lessons to craft a much more formidable, and less annoying, villain this time around: The Timekeeper. Borderlands 4 takes place on Kairos, a once-hidden planet ruled with an iron fist by the mysterious Timekeeper, a being of immense power in command of a vast army of synthetic enforcers known as The Order. According to Pitchford, the Timekeeper marks the franchise's most serious antagonist to date, which is certainly an interesting twist in tone. 'I don't think he has ever told a joke. If this is a smile, the Timekeeper probably hasn't even done this.' Pitchford explains, as he cracks the most forced smile he could muster as a reference. 'He is intelligent, calculated, in your face right out of the gates, and a serious threat. He's no joke. Darth Vader? That guy cracks more jokes.' It will be interesting to see how a shift to a completely serious main antagonist will affect the game's overall comedic element, although chances are, it will be delegated to the four new Vault Hunters (Vex, Rafa, Amon, and Harlowe) and their interactions with their various allies and foes. It's this return to the traditional four pre-set characters that marks yet another way Borderlands 4 is doubling down on series roots, even as the team also expands upon this sequel's scale, story, and comedic elements. Alas, this means that the franchise's updated character customisation, introduced in 2022's Tiny Tina's Wonderlands spin-off , which allowed the tailoring of a character's looks, along with a player's ability to mix and match classes to suit every playstyle, won't be seen here. While it marked a refreshing and well-received switch by the fanbase, due to the added gameplay flexibility and personalisation it provided, the team decided to return to the traditional method of only allowing the choice between four pre-set characters. Why? For Pitchford, allowing players the freedom to create an original character diminished one important aspect of its story – the element of playing out a superhero fantasy. 'With Wonderlands , the strategy was leaning into what we fantasise about when we think about playing fantasy role-playing games, how part of the joy is crafting your character,' he explains. 'In Borderlands , we don't have that same wish. The thing we are offering instead is the ability to become one of the characters that are integral to the storyline, to be a superhero. If we could all create our own superheroes, then all of the superheroes would be diminished.' And while some fans might be disappointed that they won't be able to create their own Vault Hunter in the game, the logic is sound, considering the game's lore. Pandora was always a dangerous place, and Kairos looks to be even more so, making the four new Vault Hunters the proverbial cream of the crop, the only ones badass enough to survive and thrive in the harsh world where so many other would-be treasure hunter enthusiasts have failed. Having a choice of pre-set characters ensures that each possesses a unique personality, something that's difficult to pull off when opting for a creation system seen in Wonderlands . Furthermore, the team has also made steps to properly establish the player character's presence in the game's storyline this time around. And while Borderlands 3 faced criticism for leaving the player character on the sidelines, with its story playing out like it was independent of the main protagonist rather than them actively being a part of it, Borderlands 4 is set to focus heavily on the player character, and rightfully so. For the first time in the series' history, the player will not only physically appear in cutscenes, but also accurately reflect a chosen outfit, which will probably lead to hilarious interactions considering how wacky some of the game's costumes can get. With the improvements and reworks of its story, characters and humour, that leaves one other major aspect of the game that has been developed from scratch – its world. Instead of exploring the vast and diverse landscapes of Pandora, or in Promethea, Athenas or Eden-6, Borderlands 4 is shifting gears and dropping players on the brand-new planet of Kairos. And despite focusing on a single planet this time around, the game promises the most diverse and expansive environments to date. 'In terms of square footage, Borderlands 4 has more than all of the previous games added together – it's massive,' states Pitchford when asked about how the game's scale compares to Borderlands 3 , which back then was the franchise's most environmentally diverse title with its inclusion of multiple planets to explore. 'In terms of diversity of environment, well, again, Borderlands 4 is at the top of the game. Yes, each planet in Borderlands 3 had some different, distinct set pieces and environments, but that was integral to the game's story. Borderlands 4 is about this legendary planet of Kairos that's been locked away for thousands of years, which has more vaults than any other planet in the universe. So it's a whole different story conceit, everything happens on this planet, with the struggle between the dictators controlling the planet and everyone's desire for freedom being the backdrop.' So, how does this translate to more meaningful exploration and discovery? For Gearbox Global Creative Executive Officer Andrew Reiner, it's all about creating player agency within the game's sandbox. 'Another big distinction in Borderlands 4 is that we're not just creating vistas and backdrops,' he adds, 'You can physically get everywhere in this world. You see a crashed ship on a hillside? It's not just there as something to look at and say 'Oh, that's cool'. You can get up there if you want, everything is free to explore and experience.' Even from early impressions, it's clear that Borderlands 4 is doubling down on the franchise's madness. We've already seen this in effect via our extended gameplay preview, but this looks to be the case for its narrative elements as well, with all signs pointing to a title that will put the series back on track while making meaningful adjustments. Let's just hope that most of its jokes will hit this time around, and that Claptrap will remain just as annoying as ever. Never change, Claptrap. Borderlands 4 will launch on 12 September 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a release on the Nintendo Switch 2 arriving later in the year. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. 2K Games Borderlands Borderlands 4 Gearbox Software Geek Interview
Geek Culture
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Culture
‘Borderlands 4' Ramps Up The Mayhem Fans Love With Enhanced Mobility And More Complex Guns
Billions of weapons Yes, you read that right, with a 'B' to start, and an 'S' at the end. That's exactly what developer Gearbox Software is promising with the next iteration of its beloved looter shooter, Borderlands 4 . After a brief stint in the fantasy genre with the Dungeons & Dragons -esque Tiny Tina's Wonderlands , the franchise is returning to its roots for its sequel, which looks to build upon everything fans have come to expect from the series while ramping up the carnage to a whole new level. And if our exclusive and almost four-hour-long hands-on session with an early preview build of the game was any indication, the sequel is a shining example of the word 'more'. Not just more Borderlands and more guns, but also more build flexibility, more weapon complexity, and a more engaging experience throughout. Spanning a sizable chunk of the game's Fadefields region, the preview let us loose to explore the sights and sounds of Kairos, a brand new planet discovered following the events of 2019's Borderlands 3 . According to Gearbox, the change in scenery also brings about a shake-up in its storytelling as a whole, featuring a non-linear main quest design allowing players to choose the order to which they handle the plotlines, alongside a host of dynamic world activities and the largest number of side quests ever seen in a Borderlands game, although the preview's curated nature prevented us from experiencing the true scope of the title. For the preview, only two of the four total playable Vault Hunters (the game's treasure-hunting protagonists) were made available – Siren Vex and the Exo-Soldier Rafa. As with all Borderlands games, gameplay progression lives and dies by the build of each character, and Borderlands 4 has taken things up a notch in this respect. As with its predecessor, each class has access to three different skill trees, each with its associated Action Skill, powerful attacks that can turn the tide of battle, which operate on a cool-down system. The difference here lies in just how expansive each skill tree is, with each individual tree possessing almost as many skill nodes as an entire character's roster in Borderlands 3. In addition to various passive stat-boosting skills, each tree also has nodes that augment a character's abilities and moves, alongside a Vault Hunter trait unique to each character. Take Vex, for example, who possesses the Phase Covenant trait, which attunes her melee damage and Action Skills to the element type of her current gun. On the topic of Action Skills, Vex's three Siren abilities mark a dramatic shift from franchise norm, making the class more of a summoner character, similar to Borderlands 3's FL4K. Aside from one skill that gives her wings and the ability to send forth a powerful Eldritch Blast, her two remaining skills focus on spawning minions to dominate the battlefield with numbers. The first summons Trouble, a cat-like creature that permanently stays by her side to attack enemies and respawns when killed. Vex can then use her action skill to cause Trouble to deal damage in an area, transforming into a Badass version, Big Trouble, for a limited time. Her final action skill operates similarly, this time summoning up to three phase ghosts of herself temporarily, with a choice to mix and match between a mobile scythe-wielding variant or a stationary sniper. Rafa, on the other hand, possesses skills related to his high-tech Exo-Suit, which includes one that summons a turret on his shoulder to automatically target nearby enemies, the ability to dual-weld a plasma cannon alongside his currently equipped firearm, or summon armblades to slice through enemies in third-person. As the bread and butter of the Borderlands series, gunplay and core combat feel largely unchanged from previous iterations, possessing the same core gameplay loop of mowing down fodder and dealing with the occasional Badass variant, while looting and swapping between guns along the way. Instead of shaking up the already well-established combat loop, Gearbox has chosen to make minor but impactful changes to the formula. Gone is the need to keep heavy weapons like rocket launchers and grenade launchers in one of the four available weapon slots, as the throwables slot from previous games has been revamped to encompass both grenades and heavy weapons like the aforementioned launchers, miniguns or large energy cannons. This change also means that players no longer need to scavenge for precious heavy weapon ammo, with the tradeoff being that the weapons now operate on a cool-down system. This minor change does wonders for combat, opening up all four weapon slots to be used according to a player's style, opening up the potential to have more weapon classes to swap on the fly, and improving combat effectiveness at all ranges. Recovering health has also been made more streamlined, as apart from collecting health pick-ups in the world and from defeated enemies, players now have access to Repkits, instant-use health items that gradually refill after use. Perhaps the biggest change to combat's flow lies in the game's enhanced traversal mechanics, with players now having access to a grappling hook which can not only propel them at specific points, but can also be used to snag objects like explosive barrels from afar, which then can be thrown at enemies. This feature, combined with the new mid-air glide and quick-dash mechanics, makes movement much snappier during combat, with the easiest way to describe it being like Borderlands meets DOOM: Eternal . But what would Borderlands be without its absurd guns? Absolutely nothing, and that's why firearms have seen their biggest overhaul yet. The franchise's icon gun manufacturer system, which gives weapons of a specific make a unique trait, returns with a bang by introducing three new manufacturers: Daedalus, Order and Ripper. Daedalus guns all possess the ability to switch ammo modes, with an SMG, for example, able to swap modes to fire sniper rounds instead, increasing damage but eating through precious rounds as a tradeoff. Order and Ripper guns both operate on a charging-up system, with the former's guns firing off multiple rounds at once when charged, while the latter's require a spool-up time before firing in rapid succession like a minigun. On the flipside, series staples Dahl and Hyperion have been removed, leaving Borderlands 4's final gun manufacturer count at eight: Jakobs, Vladof, Torgue, Maliwan, Tediore, Order, Ripper and Daedalus. Gun manufacturer changes are not limited to just new ones, though, as each gun can now be made from up to three different manufacturers at once, which ramps up combat to a whole new level. In theory, this means that a weapon has the chance to possess three unique skills at once. For example, a gun can hit hard and with extra headshot damage (Jakobs), while simultaneously being able to swap modes to fire rockets (Torgue) and also be thrown like a grenade when reloaded to deal additional damage (Tediore). The possibilities then are almost endless, harkening back to the studio's promised 'billions' of weapon variations. It seems that they are going all in on gun manufacturers this time, as even the artefact slot, which used to give additional stat bonuses in past games, has now been tweaked to specifically provide bonuses to gun manufacturers, enabling players to further optimise their build to suit their favourite kinds of guns. All that being said, how well does everything come together? In short, combat can be described as chaotic, in the best way, with players zipping all over the place with the new grappling hook, while hovering and shooting mid-air. Some enemies, such as those from the new Order faction, possess unique combat skills of their own, enhancing the chaos unfolding on screen. Badasses, specifically, offer a real threat this time around and are usually much tougher to take down compared to what players might be used to, which does help to encourage tactical use of weapons and abilities. The preview session culminated in a high-level boss encounter, with players similarly receiving pre-determined high-level guns and gear. This was easily the most intense part of all, as despite the more powerful equipment, the boss was still tough as nails, operating in phases that required the use of all the skills learnt so far, such as juggling, grappling, hovering and shooting at exposed weakspots. It was refreshingly engaging, and a far cry from the series' usual boss-fight pattern of shoot, avoid, rinse and repeat, and hopefully, this won't be a one-time affair either, and the game will introduce increasingly more complex encounters along the way. While just an early look at a minuscule portion of the game, Borderlands 4 is already shaping up to be the franchise's biggest and most innovative iteration yet. What remains to be seen is how well the game would handle its open world design and activities to balance quantity with quality, and how its story (which thankfully Gearbox promises would be far more grounded than recent entries) will fare. Borderlands 4 releases on 12 September 2025 for the PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and will also release on the Nintendo Switch 2 later in 2025. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. 2K Games Borderlands Borderlands 4 Gearbox Software Geek Preview
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Borderlands 4 launch price confirmed at $70 by Randy Pitchford: When does the game come out?
Fans of the popular looter-shooter series Borderlands can now breathe a sigh of relief as Gearbox Software officially confirmed the launch price for Borderlands 4 as $70 for the Standard Edition. Earlier, there had been fears of an $80 price tag following controversial comments from Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. This announcement comes after months of uncertainty and backlash from players when Pitchford hinted at the possibility of a higher cost. Pitchford later apologized for the comments after he was criticised by industry professionals. 'No price increase for Borderlands 4,' Pitchford said on his X account, calming the nerves of fans who were worried about following the trend set by games like Mario Kart: World, which launched at $80. The big news: No price increase for Borderlands 4! Standard Edition launches not at $80, but at $69.99! They're showing you, so please show them. You can find links to pre-order Borderlands 4 PC and console versions on the store pages here: — Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) June 16, 2025 In addition to the price reveal, Gearbox confirmed exclusive pre-order bonuses for the Standard Edition, which includes skins for the Vault Hunter, weapon, and the new Echo-4 Drone. It will be released on September 12, 2025. The upcoming game marks a significant departure from the series' traditional setting, taking players to a new open-world sandbox called Kairos. With new movement features, an expanded arsenal, and the introduction of three new gun manufacturers, Borderlands 4 promises to be the most ambitious installment in the franchise to date. The development also comes amidst a trend by popular video games, such as Outer Worlds 2, which have been launched at $80. Fans have had a negative reaction in response to these games. The official pricing announcement has put an end to speculation, and the excitement for the game continues to build. Fans can now pre-order the game and look forward to what promises to be another thrilling addition to the Borderlands universe.
Engadget
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Borderlands 4 will not cost $80, despite misguided executive comments
Borderlands 4 , the latest entry in Gearbox Software's popular looter shooter franchise, is available to pre-order now for $70, a good $10 less than many assumed it would cost. The game's price first came into question when its September 12 release date was announced without pre-order details, and Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford suggested that whether the game came with a $80 price tag was out of his hands. Pitchford put his foot in his mouth in a thread on X sharing a behind-the-scenes video about bringing Borderlands 4 to the Switch 2. A fan replied to the video asking Pitchford to not charge $80 for the game, to which Pitchford responded, "A) Not my call. B) If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen." To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. A) Not my call. B) If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen. — Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 14, 2025 Naturally, that came off as a bit glib to anyone surprised by the sudden emergence of $80 games following the release of Mario Kart World . Pitchford didn't exactly double-down next, but at a PAX East panel later in May, he also didn't deny the game would have a higher price, noting that " Borderlands 4 has more than twice the development budget than Borderlands 3. " The official pre-order information settles things: the game is not going the way of Mario Kart. The Standard Edition of Borderlands 4 costs $70 and comes with free Vault Hunter, weapon and drone skins if you pre-order. If you step up to the $100 Deluxe Edition, you get even more skins and a "Bounty Pack Bundle" that includes exclusive areas and weapons. For the $130 Super Deluxe Edition, you get all of that plus the "Vault Hunter Pack," which includes the game's two story DLC packs and new playable characters. A $70 game is not a $60 game, but if price is your biggest concern, it's better than $80. Gearbox plans to show off more of Borderlands 4 's story and gameplay at Borderlands Fan Fest on June 21. The game is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X / S and PC on September 12. The Switch 2 release is scheduled for 2025, too, and Gearbox plans to share more information about it at a later date.
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Why is Borderlands 2 being review bombed?
(Image via Gearbox Software) Borderlands 2 is a beloved classic game, but now, it's facing a sudden wave of negative reviews on Steam. The players are just furious about the newly enforced legal terms of service. It has sparked a massive review bombing campaign over corporate and privacy overreach. But what exactly is this change that's creating such backlash and has turned the recent reception of the game upside down? Here is all you need to know about it. Borderlands 2 players show discontent over Take-Two Interactive EULA The player's uproar stems from the recently updated End User License Agreement (EULA) implemented across all Borderlands games, by Take-Two Interactive, the game's publisher. As per players' claims, the new terms grant Take-Two excessive access to the player's systems, including the data collection—hardware details, IP addresses, and even the browsing history. Many fans have argued that these changes completely resemble spyware, and they fear it can grant the publisher root-level access to their systems, disguised under the name of anti-cheat measures. They have raised alarms about the privacy violations. Some players even fear that this new agreement can be used to ban mods, which have been a key part of the game's longevity. It's been stated by Take-Two Interactive that the measures are for anti-cheat and security. But the fans question the decision. After all, for a 13-year-old game title that's been focused on co-op and single-player and not competitive play, what can lead to such invasive tracking action? This backlash further intensified when the viral YouTube video highlighted changes and led to the massive review-bombing campaign all across the Borderlands series. Borderlands 2 Steam reviews, which were once quite overwhelmingly positive, have now dipped down to Mixed. It's all due to the flooding of negative feedback from players. Fans mixed reactions, and developer responses to Borderlands series backlash Not all agree that the change is as drastic as they seem to be. EULA has included the broad language regarding data collection since always and Take-Two Interaction has not introduced any anti-cheat software. Borderlands players suspect that the backlash stemmed from the misinformation with the viral YouTube video that exaggerated the risk. Yet, the damage is already done, and the recent Steam reviews of Borderlands 2 seem to have plummeted to mostly negative, with some angry players labeling the game spyware and even demanding reversals. Gearbox CEO, Randy Pitchford, has addressed the player's concerns and stated that no spyware has been added to the game. He further clarified that EULA is the decision made at the publisher level, and it doesn't impact the gameplay or the software's integrity. Despite the reassurances offered, it didn't seem to have calmed the story. Many players are still skeptical about the decision and intention of Take-Two Interactive. Also, the timing of the change coincides with Borderlands 2, which is offered for free on Steam. It has amplified the outcry as the players feel the giveaway is just a tactic to push new terms onto the users on the unsuspecting side. For now, this controversy continues, and the players are demanding transparency amidst the tightened control. Whether or not Take-Two Interactive will revise the policies or if this backlash will impact Borderlands 4, an upcoming title, remains to be seen.
