Following the release of Borderlands 3 and the unveiling of the spin-off title Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, plenty of fans are already eagerly awaiting the next main installment to the looter-shooter. Considering the rumors surrounding Borderlands 4, as well as Gearbox’s moves to expand their game development operations, it may arrive earlier than anticipated.
The Borderlands series is a first-person shooter that was first introduced in 2009. Since then, the franchise has gone on to release two more sequels in 2012 and 2019, respectively. It also has standalone spin-off titles, like Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (2014), Tales from the Borderlands (2014), and the upcoming Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands.
Rumors Point to Borderlands 4 Being in Development
Despite there being no official statement from Gearbox on Borderlands 4, rumors suggest that development is already well underway, even starting as early as March of 2021, according to an interesting story from the Game Scoop! podcast. In the episode, a listener named Ethan details that during a cave tour in Pennsylvania, he encountered a man who claimed to be a software programmer for Borderlands 4. He said he was doing research for some of the game’s designs.
In addition to this, the fact that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a cross-gen game also lends to the idea that Borderlands 4 could already be in development. It allows developers to lay the groundwork for the next-gen sequel, while also preparing for the spin-off’s release. Since Gearbox is wrapping up the release of new content for Borderlands 3, it makes sense for them to shift gears to Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and, possibly, the fourth main game in the series.
Gearbox is Doubling Down on Game Development
Though talk of Borderlands 4 mostly involves rumors, one thing’s for sure: Gearbox has big things planned for its future. In a press release from August of 2021, the company announced that it would open a new studio in Montréal. Pierre-André Déry, industry veteran and co-head of Gearbox Montréal, announced the new studio:
“Building on Gearbox’s long history of creative freedom, we are excited to assemble a new development team to work on the Borderlands franchise and create new IP in Montréal.” Sébastien Caisse, who will be co-heading the studio alongside Déry, also highlights how the expansion helps the company grow creatively and be more ambitious with its games.
With a new game development arm in Canada, Gearbox has a bigger team than ever before — meaning more resources to devote to future games, like Duke Nukem, Brothers in Arms, and, of course, Borderlands. These developments give fans of the franchise good reason to hope that Borderlands 4 won’t take as long as its predecessor, which was released seven years after Borderlands 2.
Finally, it’s worth noting that Borderlands 3 is 2K Games’ fastest-selling game to date, with nearly 14 million units sold between September 2019 and October 2021. And while Borderlands 3 has yet to outsell Borderlands 2, it’s certainly on track to surpass it.
With all that said, it’s important to remember that there’s nothing yet conclusive on whether Borderlands 4 is in development or not. Even so, there’s no doubt that the fourth iteration to the looter-shooter series is a hot topic, with the gaming community already speculating on what the title will entail. Until Gearbox or 2K Games makes a statement, Borderlands fans can get their looter-shooter fix with Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a spin-off that will be released this year.
Borderlands 4 is rumored to be in development.