Borderlands 4 Developer Panel at PAX West 2024

Update: Recap

Gearbox Software talked a lot about Borderlands 4 but as aspected not a lot of concrete details were shared. That said, this is also what they said they would do. Great to see these devs up on stage.

There was a recap of the teaser trailer with additional information but also the vision behind their action. Here are the details you need to know about the Gearbox Main Theater Show.

Key Takeaways

• Gearbox Software started working on Borderlands 4 right after releasing Borderlands 3
• 4 New Playable Vault Hunters that bring something new to the table
• Your Vault Hunter will be the hero
• New Planet with New Characters, some old characters will return
• Focus on telling a good story as they did with the Borderlands 3 DLCs and give characters a meaningful role instead of introducing fan-favorite characters for 5 minutes.
• The new planet was hidden from the galaxy by a cloaking veil
• They noted they have been listening to the community
• They noted they are executing on things they haven’t been able to do with Borderlands 3
• Borderlands 4 will take place in the same universe, no multiverse story.

Details

• They started working on Borderlands 4 right after releasing Borderlands 3. It’s common for a small team to start setting up the concept of the next game while the rest of the team is still supporting the current one.
• The trailer’s narrative is that it takes place seconds after the final event in Borderlands 3 where Lilith Phasewalks/Teleports the moon.
  • They are talking about the trailer, not the game. So there could still be a time jump.
• The Moon Elpis landed in a hidden location somewhere in one of the Six Galaxies
  • This is still the same universe. GBX has always referred to the Six Galaxies. Early fan speculation about the scattering veil mentioned the Multiverse
• There is a reason why this part of the galaxy has been hidden for ages by this cloaking veil.
  • The scattering of the cloak looks like an ice wall being broken. This makes me think about the “beyond the ice wall” conspiracies that reveal a whole new part of the world.
• New Planet. colorful post-apocalyptic, high-tech, low-fi environments with a lot of digital projections.
• There is a reason why the meteors are in the trailer.
• Things that GBX wasn’t able to execute on with previous titles are being developed for Borderlands 4
• 4 New Vault Hunters that offer new experiences.
  • GBX evolved the soldier class throughout the series. Going from Roland (turret) to Axton (360 turret) but switched things up with Moze (Mech). They are innovating on their heroes once again.
• Expanding on the FPS and RPG side of the game but don’t overcomplicate things.
• Sam talks about BL1 being a treasure hunt across a desert wasteland. BL2 is an active revenge story about taking down a dictator. BL3 was a race, beating the COV to the Vault. BL4 is bringing it back to the player. The Vault Hunter is the hero.
• Reactive world
• Your character will be in the cutscenes being part of the story rather than being there along the ride.
• The tech in the game that was established with BL1 is being redefined with BL4.
  • (This sounds like weapon manufacturers are getting new traits)
• BL4 will include a lot of new characters but some fan favorites will return.

Community Feedback

The GBX Devs say that they have been listening to community feedback. They share a few examples in this presentation on how the Borderlands 3 feedback influenced Borderlands 4.

• One of the feedbacks GBX got from BL3 was that your character wasn’t visible in the cutscenes. While you did everything else, you were on the sideline doing nothing when Maya died. With BL4 they are putting you in the cutscenes.
• In BL3 you jumped from one planet to another and encountered a lot of (fan-favorite) characters, however, therefore you couldn’t spend a lot of meaningful time with them. Therefore, GBX is focusing on fewer characters in BL4 but telling better and more meaningful stories and not having characters simply be there for the sake of fan service. They started implementing this with the BL3 DLCs. Characters have a strong purpose and go through an arc themselves.

Sidenote: if you listen to Echoes From the Borderlands Episode 5 you can hear how community feedback impacted Borderlands 3.

Original Article

Gearbox Software announced that they will be hosting a classic Main Theater Show on August 30 at PAX West 2024. During this showcase, they will talk about what has kept them busy all this time; one of those things is Borderlands 4!

Gearbox Entertainment President, Randy Pitchford, will be on stage alongside several developers from the studio. They will talk about how they are approaching the newest entry to the franchise. This presentation will start at 12 pm PT and be live-streamed on the Gearbox Twitch Channel. The full reveal of Borderlands 4 will be coming at a later date

Several Gearbox Software developers have mentioned that they will be attending the event, however, they didn’t all disclose if they will be onstage during the showcase. That said, I think it makes sense if the following folks do appear at the Main Theather Show because of their role at the company, Borderlands 4, and they being awesome people.

Randy Varnell is the Chief Creative Officer at Gearbox Software. Previously a producer, creative director, leader, head of GBX’s Story Group, and President of Gearbox Properties but since the Take Two Acquisition he has this new role. Randy Varnell has been doing press/interviews since the Borderlands 2 days and was also prominent during the marketing of Battleborn and Borderlands 3.

Graeme Timmins is the Creative Director of Borderlands 4. Another familiar face as Graeme appeared in the Making of Borderlands 2 interviews. Back then he was already a lead-level designer and during the Borderlands 3 days we also got to know him because of the post-launch support as he appeared during the Borderlands Show and the BorderCast.

Sam Winkler is the Narrative Director of Borderlands 4. He started as the lead writer for the Battleborn DLCs, was a Co-Lead Writers on Borderlands 3, Lead Writer on Guns, Love, and Tentacles, Co-Writer on the other BL3 DLCs, and Lead Writer on Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.

Noelle is the Lead Community Manager. Noelle joined GBX after the Battleborn days, claimed her role, and is a pillar in the community. Noelle also appeared on an episode of Echoes From the Borderlands where she talks about her role, bringing the gap between GBX and the community and how that impacts the development.

My Perspective

Gearbox’s Showcase will feature a big Borderlands 4 presentation but it won’t be the only thing they will touch upon. So, I’m expecting some Risk of Rain, Homeworld, and their Brawlhalla during the main theater show.

They will likely finish with Borderlands 4 and introduce us to the main figureheads of Borderlands 4 (Creative Director and Lead Writer) as they talk about some of their involvement with the franchise.

I think they will talk about the BL4 teaser trailer and touch upon how the ending of Borderlands 3 leads toward the next installment of the franchise because the full reveal will be at a later date, therefore, you shouldn’t expect to see gameplay.

I assume they will talk about how they are pushing the franchise to the next level without giving away too much.

Gearbox Entertainment Live Theater Show PAX West 2024