Borderlands 3 will reportedly not be shown at E3 this year. According to Shacknews, a Gearbox representative confirmed to a crowd of journalists that the popular franchise would not have a "presence" at the convention. Gearbox itself will have other games to show at E3, but not anything related to the first-person shooter franchise. This news comes in contrast of recent rumors pointing towards E3 for Borderlands 3's debut.

While the next major title in the Borderlands franchise has yet to be officially announced in any capacity, Gearbox and specifically CEO Randy Pitchford have made clear that a sequel is in the works. Pitchford revealed development began in January 2015, dubbing the project the "big one," but news since has remained scant. The project has since even been said to not necessarily be Borderlands 3 in the strictest sense.

Given that the next Borderlands game has only ramped up development in the past few years, it's understandable that the game might not be ready to be shown. Pitchford has also recently said that Gearbox won't be revealing games until they're near ready for release. It's likely healthy for everyone when it comes to pushing back the next major Borderlands game until 2019 or beyond so that fans don't stress out about development.

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With that said, this news should still be taken with a grain of salt. Shacknews, given that it says the news was made to a crowd of journalists, was probably attending a pre-E3 event from 2K. Many such events have come and gone, claiming a game doesn't exist and then following that up with an announcement trailer during a major press conference. It's almost certain that Gearbox didn't expect this news to be made public at all, as pre-E3 events typically have very strict embargoes, if not NDAs. Note that none of the other outlets at the event have decided to share this news yet.

If Borderlands 3 doesn't end up appearing during E3, don't be surprised. But maybe also don't be surprised of Gearbox ends up sneaking a Borderlands 3 announcement trailer into a press conference, too. After all, that Walmart E3 leak has proven rather accurate so far.

Borderlands 3 is currently in development for unspecified platforms.

Source: Shacknews