PAX East may have a Borderlands 3-sized surprise announcement in store, according to the latest rumors about the annual convention. Today the official PAX East schedule was released, detailing all of the convention's planned presentations, panels, and tournaments. One panel, in particular, stood out from the others: the Gearbox Main Theater Show. The panel's primetime location and time, as well as the promise of "never-before-seen reveals," is once again stirring up Borderlands 3 speculation.

Speculation is just what it is, however. There's nothing officially pointing towards a Borderlands 3 announcement at PAX East. Nevertheless, sources across the industry have been reporting on Borderlands 3's ongoing development for several months now. That includes several leaks regarding potential playable character-classes in 2018, Take-Two confirming a major unnamed game release planned for 2019, and Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford teasing the game at events and on social media as far back as 2015.

Borderlands 3, if that's what Gearbox decides to name the game, is going to be announced eventually. It's just a matter of time. PAX East just became the prime candidate for such an announcement.

Beyond the reference to "never-before-seen reveals," the description for the Gearbox Panel at PAX East is notably bland. There are no references to upcoming games and no specific teases. At face value, the panel is just a general Gearbox-related event celebrating the developer's recent past:

"This is your opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at Gearbox Software and Gearbox Publishing, along with the latest news and updates from the makers of Borderlands, Battleborn, Brothers in Arms, and more!  We will have never-before-seen reveals, exclusives, and surprises, so don’t miss out!"

Still, if Gearbox isn't announcing Borderlands 3 or a different project at PAX East then it's going to be quite the red herring. After all, the panel having a prime position after the official PAX kick-off with the Penny-Arcade guys and being set in the convention's main theater imply something bigger than taking questions about Battleborn. Gearbox is even based in Texas, so the company going out of its way to attend PAX EAST instead of PAX South, which is held in Texas, shows that something is going on.

If it matters, a Borderlands 3 announcement wouldn't be the first time the company's revealed a game at PAX. Gearbox first announced it was working on Duke Nukem Forever at PAX in 2010, after all. Though that may be more ominous than auspicious. Expect to find out more information soon.

Borderlands 3 is currently unannounced.