Update: April 3,2019
You can pre-order the Borderlands 3 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC (6 months Epic Store Exclusive), so this rumor is officially debunked.
Update: March 29,2019
For the moment this rumor doesn’t seem to be true as the official PlayStation channels have also promoted the Borderlands 3 announcement trailer.
Update: May 25,2018
Gearbox President Randy Pitchford debunks the rumor that Borderlands 3 will be a Microsoft exclusive. However, in the tweet, he says that Gearbox didn’t sign such a thing. But isn’t the publisher in control of that? That would mean that 2K Games would need to sign it. GBX Devs have said in the past that they just make the game and 2K sells it. But that’s just adding more speculation to a rumor article.
But what do you think about this leak, do you think it’s real? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll be covering this game extensively so check back from time to time for more updates. If you have any other specific questions then check out the Borderlands 3 FAQ for a quick overview of the most frequently asked Borderlands 3 questions.
Original Article: April 6, 2018
Earlier this week Rectify Gaming posted an article claiming that their sources tell them that Microsoft acquired the rights to exclusivity market Borderlands 3. Besides having the rights for the next Borderlands game Microsoft would also have the rights for some other potential heavy hitters. Last year before E3 2017 Rectify Gaming’s sources gave them info about ‘intel on ReCore Definitive Edition‘ and the ‘Xbox One X‘ which turned out to be mostly accurate.
The recent Borderlands 3 leak also suggested a reveal on June 10. This is the same day when Microsoft has its Xbox presentation for E3 2018. While that leak used artwork from Dark Souls 2 and therefore got dismissed, I did mention that it’s still possible that we could see something at E3 this year. Because we have gotten a lot of hints that Borderlands is in development. While the Electronic Entertainment Expo is like 2 months away, this news by Rectify Gaming doesn’t confirm there will be a reveal at the E3. However, next to GamesCom it would be one of the bigger events that we know Microsoft will be present at. And if 2K Games wants to hit their Borderlands 3 release window there has to be something soon-ish.
Having the right to exclusively market a game doesn’t mean Borderlands 3 will be a (timed) exclusive for the Xbox platforms. It does mean that all the commercials will be branded to that specific platform and all demo pods will feature their controllers. I don’t mind playing on an Xbox Controller as I’m used to playing on that. It was a bit weird for me when I had to transition from playing Battleborn on an Xbox controller and later going to a Playstation controller at a Battleborn press event.
For the moment this is still a rumor but it is possible. Microsoft has been getting some slag for not having enough exclusives. However, getting those is pretty hard if you are not the leading gaming platform. Publishers will prefer the biggest console party and currently, Playstation is still in the lead. Therefore I mentioned that that scenario would be more likely in previous statements. 2K Games also partnered with Sony with Battleborn. Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, has been mentioning that they are preparing a kickass show of E3 that would fulfill consumer demand. But that’s a pretty brought statement. For now, we have to wait and see if we will be seeing exclusive Borderlands 3 content on the Xbox/Microsoft channels.
Possible Microsoft Marketing Exclusives
- Borderlands 3 (unannounced / rumored game)
- Splinter Cell (unannounced / rumored game)
- Metro Exodus (showcased at Microsoft’s 2017 E3)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (I thought this game was still a long way out)
- Battlefield 5 WW 2 (EA and Microsoft have been very close business partners recently)
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Microsoft had a timed exclusive with the previous Tomb Raider)
- Anthem (reveal at Microsoft’s E3 conference last year)
- Elder Scrolls 6 ( I haven’t heard anything about this game)
- Madden NFL 19 (long history of Xbox partnerships over the years)
