Borderlands 4 is coming soon, bringing the series to a new planet with all-new Vault Hunters. I sat down with Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox, and Andrew Reiner, Global Creative Executive, to talk about the game. Specifically, how would it be friendly for people who hadn’t touched a Borderlands game before? What else could the developers add to the universe despite the finality of the previous entry?
I had the chance to experience a hands-on preview of Borderlands 4’s gameplay and used that as the starting point. At the end of a gruelling battle against a Vault boss, I was close to victory but failed at the last minute. I went back to the Vault boss, and it was back at full health, which was a demoralising sight. From the beginning, Randy mentioned this was a game that was friendly to new players, but that moment was something only a veteran could power through.
Randy and Andrew mentioned that I was thrown into the deep end for that preview, and normally, I’d have the chance to build my skills. Andrew also mentioned that “this was an optional Vault boss with good drops but not essential to the story.” Going through the skill trees and having more time with equipment would turn my failure into a success. Choosing your character, figuring out how to utilise their abilities, and spending time to get used to them makes a big difference. But would beginners feel the same way if they experienced something similar against an early-game boss or mission?
Randy took that opportunity to discuss what he meant by friendly to new players:
“There’s another thing too, that comment about new players, there’s two things. There’s how much experience you have in Borderlands, and then how hardcore of a first-person shooter player are you? Those are two different ideas. There’s people who are very skilled at first-person shooters but have never played a Borderlands game before. And it’s important for them to know that they don’t need any prior knowledge from a storytelling perspective to be able to come into Borderlands 4.”
“One of the things that makes that true is that when you play on your own, you decide what you’re going to go for.“
“From a skill perspective, we do a pretty good job of onboarding new players. With every Borderlands game we’ve launched, we’ve been surprised by how many people choose it as their very first first-person shooter to play. One of the things that makes that true is that when you play on your own, you decide what you’re going to go for. If you aren’t as confident about your skills, say you’re Level 20, you don’t have to tackle the Level 20 section yet. You can overpower yourself and do other stuff.”
My next question moved away from the gaming experience and started with the inspiration for Borderlands 4. While Borderlands never set out to be a trilogy, the way Borderlands 3 ended felt like a final ending. What was the impetus for Borderlands 4, bringing us to Kairos for another experience? Is there a further story to tell, or was this a chance to change up the formula?
Randy replied that if he had a magic wand, he’d be “making Borderlands games until I am dead”. He also agreed that there was a sense that the first three games made up a trilogy with a satisfying conclusion. Randy himself is not a fan of games that don’t end conclusively because they expect a sequel to address future plot points. But fans of the gameplay and characters would always hope that there’s another experience. Randy elaborated on how he used the ending of Borderlands 3 to seamlessly tie in the story of 4.
“In the end, Lilith teleported that moon somewhere, and that was our tool that we were going to use to create this new jumping-off point. At the same time, because we had her teleport that across the galaxy, our starting point is kind of fresh. This is, in many ways, the beginning of a new trilogy. I don’t know, we’ll see what happens from here. I think this new beginning is a great entry point for new players from a storytelling perspective. But if you have played the past games, it connects and it will make sense.”
My next question was about the inspiration for Kairos and its setting. It’s the home of the Timekeeper, which he once had complete dominion over. Thanks to the events of Borderlands 3, his dominion has been interrupted, and Kairos is revealed to the universe. This also sparks dissent among the populace that the Timekeeper ruled over, leading to a rebellion. Where did the idea of Kairos come from, and was it easy for the team to integrate it into the existing lore? Randy mentioned that the idea of Kairos and the Timekeeper actually started during the development of Borderlands 3.
“I wanted to play with themes between order and freedom. Or totalitarianist control and chaos. I wanted to play with how all of that worked, on a macro level, but also a personal level. There’s a very rich lore in Borderlands, and we had a character that we imagined as part of our larger universe. We’ve referenced him; his name appears in the lore, but no one’s ever seen him before, and he doesn’t make an appearance in the games.
We thought, this is the chance, we knew something about the Timekeeper’s relationship with himself and his ability to maintain his immortality, demands total and absolute control. That’s the right kind of cat (being) you want when you grapple between order and freedom. From there, we started imagining this whole world, and it gave us some cool things, because Kairos was locked away, and nobody knew about it. It also created context when you, as a Vault Hunter, show up; it’s all new to you. It doesn’t matter if you played all the Borderlands games before, as this is new to everybody.”
We also talked about the new antagonist, the Timekeeper, as a no-nonsense villain who would “make Darth Vader pee his pants (soil himself)”. Andrew added his own view of the Timekeeper. “The Timekeeper is intelligent, confident, from the moment you meet him, he’s just in your face. This is my order, that’s how the game is going to begin, with you being threatened by this guy. He is a figure and a half. He’s Darth Vader-tall, the Timekeeper’s tall. He’s a serious threat.”
I wrapped up by asking what the limits on humour would be, and Randy responded that they like a nice dose of crazy. The team isn’t afraid of being crazy, as it is part of every Borderlands formula. What makes it stand out are the moments of gravitas that contrast with the silly moments and make you feel the craziness. Borderlands lives in the weird, uncomfortable space between things that don’t belong. The team enjoys jamming ideas together that normally shouldn’t be together.
Borderlands 4 is coming out on September 13th, 2025. If you want more craziness, more loot, and a new story around order vs. chaos, it’s looking like you can’t go wrong with this new entry.
Checkpoint Gaming was flown to Sydney as a guest of 2K ANZ for this interview.
About the Author
Victor Tan
He/Him
Victor spends his time trying to help players out of tricky situations and give them the guidance they need to succeed. Outside of the video game world, you can find him training at the gym or doing simple improv activities.
