Borderlands developer Gearbox has called on fans to let it know what they want from the franchise’s next game, as work begins on “an exciting overall direction.”
Borderlands 4 just completed its first year of DLC, and in a note to fans today, Gearbox released its long-awaited future content announcement, confirming that more things will be coming to the looter shooter next year. “Going forward, weekly activity updates and community challenges will continue,” Gearbox said. “We just completed our year one roadmap and the team is hard at work on more Borderlands 4 content for next year.” What this content entails beyond weekly activity updates and community challenges has not been specified.
Gearbox then spoke vaguely about its plans for the future of the Borderlands franchise, asking fans for their opinions.
“The team is constantly listening to community feedback and exploring additional character arcs, storylines, and an exciting overall direction for the future of the franchise,” Gearbox said.
The studio continued: “…we’re also taking a closer look at the franchise as a whole. Where can we take it next? Which characters do you want to spend more time with? What stories are worthy of recognition? A big part of this is listening to you. Keep the conversation going – we’re listening. Tell us what you think! Share your thoughts with us on social media and tune into the Gearbox Devcast. We’re always responding to community feedback on this show.”
However, don’t hold your breath for the announcement of Borderlands 5 or whatever the next game is called. It looks like early days.
“That said, big projects take time and we need space to work,” Gearbox added. “You can be sure that we will speak more when the time comes. Now is your chance to influence what we say. We listen to you and we work hard for you. Thank you for being with us in the Borderlands.”
This announcement comes as the Borderlands franchise crossed the 100 million units sold mark. Over the summer, fans wondered how successful Borderlands 4 had been not only in terms of launch sales, but also its ongoing player base, and how that might have affected Gearbox’s plans, as they awaited confirmation of a second year of support.
Since its launch in September, Borderlands 4 has been the subject of various controversies, mostly related to serious PC performance issues. Outspoken CEO Randy Pitchford went on the offensivedirectly responding to complaints on social media to Claptrap in return to disgruntled fans.
Strauss Zelnick, head of parent company Gearbox Take-Two, previously admitted that Borderlands 4 sales suffered “a little softness” due to technical problems, but expressed confidence that “everything will be caught up” with enough time. Nintendo Switch 2 version has been discontinuedTake-Two claiming that Gearbox has prioritized continued “improvements” to the game on its existing platforms.
Meanwhile, Borderlands 4 remains on a “mixed” rating from user reviews on Steam. After launching to over 300,000 concurrent players on Valve’s platform, Borderlands 4 is now averaging a quadruple-digit concurrent peak. Steam numbers don’t give the full picture of a game’s popularity, as that’s also the case on consoles, but it’s clear that Borderlands 4 could use a shot in the arm.
Wesley is the editor-in-chief of IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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