Borderlands is a fun elderly series — one I have a ton of affection for, aside from its clunky story. Its formula hasn’t changed much in the last few years, ignoring the industry’s surge in looter shooters becoming live-service games in favor of the standard ARPG model, minus a few expansion packs and class additions along the way.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, naturally, has a lot of love for it too. So much so that he apparently said too much and all but confirmed that a modern Borderlands game was in the works, with details coming soon, not to mention a wink and a nudge.
In a recent interview for PlayerPitchford starts off with an “Oh, man” as if he’s been caught vandalizing public property in an episode of The Simpsons, adding, “I don’t think I’ve done a good enough job of hiding the fact that we’re working on something… And I think people who love Borderlands are going to be really excited about what we’re working on.”
Dear reader, I try to put as few words into someone’s mouth as possible, but it seems to me that this is a pretty obvious exaggeration – the modern Borderlands thing is in the works and will be announced soon. But considering how little Borderlands has tinkered with its core formula, I’d be surprised if it’s anything out of the ordinary.
That said, there’s a miniature, anxious part of my elderly, backward heart that wonders if we’ll finally get the historic, ill-fated Borderlands Online that was briefly teased and then killed off back in 2015. Remember, as the public $200 million loss that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League made clear, looter shooters are risky and high-priced investments — if Gearbox suddenly releases a proper live-action gaming machine, I’ll deeply fear for the series’ future.
More likely we’ll get… I don’t know. Borderlands 4? Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands 2? This would be a really intriguing time for the series to start making some bold and stimulating decisions, in the same way it would be intriguing to see your buddy (who’s never done a backflip before) suddenly loudly announce “hey, watch me do this backflip!” in the middle of a crowded bar. Whatever happens next is sure to be painful, fascinating, and likely rack up a hefty bill.
We’ll find out soon enough, though, as Pitchford says: “It’s a vague word, but sooner or later we’ll be talking about what we’ve been working on, and I can’t wait.” Hopefully, it won’t be a film series, because I think that ship may have sunk before it left dock.