Stepping into Borderlands 4, you’ll find an adventure that feels ghostly familiar. It’s a product of everything that’s come before, functioning as an expansion of the franchise’s best ideas, buoyed by modern technology. There’s a reason why Borderlands has rarely changed since its inception: Gearbox Software developed a strong foundation from the very beginning, using each new game as a tweaking point to refine sensibilities, improve combat, and create a more compelling narrative.
There have been stumbling blocks along the way, but even in its darker moments, the core tenets of Borderlands have shined through in each game. It’s a series of strong, moreish combat, with optional co-op to play friends, set in a world of mayhem and madness. With each new entry, the series advances, yet retains a familiar formula.
Speaking to ScreenHub, Randy Pitchford, Founder and President of Gearbox Software, and Andrew Reiner, Global Creative Executive, confirmed a core intentionally in the franchise’s overarching familiarity.
Formulating the future of Borderlands
‘There’s a reason why the first person shooter genre works, and why it continues to proliferate,’ Pitchford told ScreenHub. ‘I’m excited to play Doom: The Dark Ages, which just came out, because it’s just a core shooter. It focuses on the fundamentals of shooting, and that’s always great. Moving, aiming, and hitting a target, and knocking it down before it knocks you down … it just feels good.’
‘The other side is the roleplaying game side. It’s not about skill, it’s not about moment to moment. You know, the roleplaying game inside [Borderlands 4] … it’s more of a head game, it’s more long range, it’s a meta … The idea of becoming more powerful, and levelling up, and finding better and better loot I can make myself stronger with [is super addicting.]’
Read: Borderlands 4 preview – Back in business, baby!
Per Pitchford, that satisfying gameplay loop was what Gearbox Software aimed to build from the original Borderlands, and it’s an idea that’s been proliferated throughout each franchise entry. In the balance of long term RPG-like engagement, and the ‘visceral fun’ of moment-to-moment combat, Pitchford believes Borderlands found a formula that just ‘works.’
‘I think it’s just cool to have a world where we figured it out … how to blend that long term engagement with that short term moment-to-moment fun,’ Pitchford said. ‘If you get that fundamental balance right between those two things, all being part of it at every moment, it’s both rewarding and gratifying, but also a little bit addicting. That’s what I like most in a video game.’
For Reiner, who was notably a video game critic prior to joining Gearbox Software, the timeless feeling also derives from the franchise’s loot system, and how it provides constant reward to players.
‘I think it’s timeless. Every time you open a chest, there’s something new in there,’ Reiner said. ‘The element of discovery is huge, in that you could go play the same battle over and over, with different guns, and it’s always going to feel different. It’s going to feel satisfying in different ways. With Borderlands 4, we’re adding onto that.’
‘Now, with the environment, now you have an element of discovery [of] a level we haven’t achieved before. When you’re out exploring, you’ll see a crashed ship on a hillside, and it’s like “I bet I can get up in there” and we will reward you for going in there, either with more loot, or other things we haven’t talked about yet.’
The value of co-op adventuring
Beyond these elements, Reiner and Pitchford also discussed the value of the Borderlands franchise as a fully co-op adventure series. Personally, I’ve played through each Borderlands game multiple times, solo, and with friends along for the ride. Each game excels in this format, allowing players to gather together (even in couch co-op, which is becoming a rarity) to enjoy games as a bonding activity.
‘It seems like there’s less [co-op games] than [we] used to get,’ Pitchford said. ‘And that’s frustrating.’
Travelling together with friends can feel ‘awesome,’ as Pitchford says. It can make you feel ‘powerful.’ There’s nothing quite like it. The Gearbox Software team remains very passionate about making games that people can play together, and allowing them to experience power and fantasy in bigger, brighter worlds.
‘I get excited by the fact that we get to do it [to create a bigger and better Borderlands],’ Pitchford said, of the expectations facing Borderlands 4. ‘It’s just amazing. When you and your readers show up and support us, it gives us the tools we need to fight even harder … I don’t think we’ve ever done anything perfect, but every time we do something, we get to learn things, and we get better.’
‘It’s less about the pressure, and more about the thrill of getting to do it, and wanting to make the most of that. That’s how I approach it.’
Keen players will be able to experience these ambitions for themselves as Borderlands 4 heads to release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on 12 September 2025.
This interview was conducted in May 2025, as part of a larger preview session for Borderlands 4.
