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As the Borderlands series prepares to launch its fourth mainline installment, fans are eager to know what’s in store for the beloved vault hunters. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Graeme Timmins, Creative Director for Borderlands 4, and Randy Varnell, Chief Creative Officer at Gearbox, for an exclusive interview that revealed exciting details about the game’s development, new features, and how the team has listened to fan feedback to create what could be the most player-focused Borderlands experience yet.
From addressing long-standing gameplay frustrations to completely reimagining how players interact with the story, our conversation with the creative minds behind Borderlands 4 offers a fascinating glimpse into the future of this iconic franchise.
The Journey Continues: Why Borderlands Endures
After more than a decade since the original Borderlands launched in 2009, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. When asked about what keeps the team committed to the series, Varnell emphasized the importance of their dedicated fanbase. “We have been so fortunate that Borderlands found an audience early and it’s a big audience,” he explained. “The thing that really keeps us excited about coming back to it is people love what we do and continue to want to play what we create.”
In today’s competitive gaming landscape where many developers struggle to find success with new properties, Borderlands has maintained its relevance by staying true to what fans love while continuing to evolve. “We really want to entertain people and that we’re lucky enough to have found something that we like to make that people like to play,” Varnell added.
The franchise’s flexibility is another key factor in its longevity. “Our universe is really flexible,” Timmins explained. “We can be super funny or we can be super serious, super dark, super gory and violent. So I love that we have that freedom and Borderlands is the best to have that.”
Balancing Old and New in Gaming
The gaming industry has seen a trend toward remasters and remakes in recent years, but Timmins sees this as a positive development. “There are some great games for many generations that we as entertainers love players to see again,” he said. “There’s new generations of gamers and a remake might be the first time they get to see a really great story and that’s a good thing.”
Timmins, who has been with the franchise since the beginning, brings a unique perspective to this discussion. “I’ve worked on house three levels in Borderlands 1 so I’ve been with the franchise since day one,” he shared. “I think remakes and remasters are great because they give people who missed those games an opportunity to see them.”
However, Borderlands 4 aims to strike a balance between honoring its legacy and welcoming newcomers. “We kind of set up the story this time that if you’ve never played Borderlands before, you can come into this one,” Timmins explained. “You’ll get connected to the previous games, but at first, everyone’s on the same page. When you start this game, whether you played every Borderlands or not, everyone will be on the same footing.”
The approach ensures that both new and veteran players have meaningful experiences. “As we go further, people who played the previous games, they’re going to see a lot of connections, whereas the new players to the franchise are just going to be entertained beginning there,” Timmins added.
Fixing Past Problems: No More Save Reloading
One of the biggest complaints about previous Borderlands games, especially Borderlands 3, was the tedious process of reloading saves to respawn bosses for loot farming. Timmins, who became creative director after Borderlands 3’s release, acknowledged this issue head-on. “When Borderlands 3 came out, I was the creative director after it came out. And for the end game, I recognize people love to grind for loot, right?”
The solution comes in the form of Moxxi’s Encore machine, which Timmins described with clear enthusiasm. “I wanted to say like, no player should have to look at a loading screen to get good loot. And so that’s why we introduced Moxxi’s Encore machine.” The system works seamlessly with the game’s progression structure. “After you’ve completed the mission for a boss, you have to like, turn in the mission. You can go back to that arena and now there’s a machine in here and you can buy another run.”
The benefits extend beyond just convenience. “You never have to save loads, and what’s great about it is now you can boss farm and co-op,” Timmins explained. “Because previously, if you went back to the menu, your party would disband, that’s not a thing anymore. So now you and your buddies can be like, ‘Oh, I’m working on this gun for my build. Can we go find that boss?’ And you and your buddies can go run that boss and keep running, find reruns of it, but never see a loading screen.”
Keeping Co-op Alive
While many developers have moved away from split-screen co-op due to technical challenges, Borderlands 4 maintains this feature across platforms. Timmins was honest about the difficulties involved. “Co-op is very hard and I sympathize with a lot of developers who moved away from Co-op and Split Screen because of how demanding it is and some of the sacrifices you have to make as a game developer.”
Despite these challenges, the team’s commitment remains unwavering. “It’s kind of part of the blood of Borderlands. Those moments of being on the couch with your buddies and sharing that. So we’ve made those sacrifices to keep that,” Timmins said.
The team’s philosophy extends beyond just maintaining the feature. “We’ve done so much to make Co-op a paramount experience in Borderlands,” Timmins emphasized. “If you want to have fun in Borderlands, you should be playing it in co-op because it’s the most fun, you have the best chance to loot and fight the hardest enemies in co-op.”
Regarding platform support, Timmins noted that while they’re still working on the Switch 2 version and can’t get into specifics, the commitment to co-op remains strong. “All of our platforms have been working on the performance, so no matter if you’re playing on Switch 2, Xbox, PlayStation, PC, well PC does not support Split Screen. But on those other platforms, it feels good.”
Returning Heroes and New Faces
Fan-favorite characters like Moxxi, Zane, and Amara are returning in Borderlands 4, but in a new capacity. Following the franchise tradition, playable characters from previous games become NPCs in the next installment. “My favorite thing that we do in Borderlands is that playable characters from one game become NPCs in the next game,” Varnell shared. “When you get to see them as NPCs, you’re gonna have a moment like, ‘That’s my guy, that’s my person, that’s my character.'”
The challenge lies in balancing these returning characters with new content. “We’ve got a lot of characters that people love in the franchise,” Varnell noted. “We always want some returning characters, but we also want to be sure that new players get a fresh experience.”
The team also recognizes that fan attachment to characters goes beyond just the games. “There are a number of our writers and designers in Gearbox who would love to do a Borderlands character dating sim. We would love to do it,” Varnell revealed. “We do love that our fans love our characters and want more of them.”
Your Character Takes Center Stage
Perhaps the biggest change in Borderlands 4 is that player characters are now fully voiced and appear in cutscenes. This addresses a major complaint from Borderlands 3 where players felt their characters didn’t matter in the story. “When we go back and we really listen closely to the community’s reaction and whatnot, there’s moments in the Borderlands 3 story where players were there and disappointed that their character didn’t do something in the scene,” Timmins explained.
The technical investment required for this change was significant. “Very early on, we invested in the technology to allow your player with their cosmetics, however you have them decked out, they are in the cinematic. And you get to see your character do things that feel natural,” Timmins said. The result is a more immersive experience where players truly feel like the protagonist. “You get to be the hero, and you as a player get to be the hero this time instead of going along for a ride, it’s your character, your actions, your motivations are the vocal point in the game,” Timmins emphasized.
Varnell reinforced the impact of this change across the entire narrative structure. “It really affected all of our stories. You see it in the cinematics, but we thought very deeply about it, because that was one of the biggest complaints that people had about Borderlands 3 is they didn’t feel their character mattered.”
A New World to Explore Learning from Past Mistakes
The team took community feedback seriously when developing Borderlands 4, with Varnell taking a particularly hands-on approach to understanding player sentiment. “The turning point was honestly just listening to what people loved and didn’t love about Borderlands 3. Like, I read all the comments. I probably shouldn’t, but I read all the comments everywhere, and I think deeply about it,” Varnell revealed.
This reflection led to significant changes in tone and humor. The team acknowledged that what worked for Borderlands 2 didn’t necessarily work for Borderlands 3. “We had an amazing writer, Anthony Burch who was really, really good at tapping into culture and delivering the humor. We tried to do some of that same humor in Borderlands 3, it did not land and so we really took a long look at where viewers were going and what jokes relating to where it is and we’ve changed it in Borderlands 4,” Varnell explained.
Borderlands 4 takes players away from the familiar planet of Pandora to a new world called Kairos. This planet was hidden and controlled by the Time Keeper for thousands of years, offering fresh environments while maintaining connections to the broader Borderlands universe. “In this one, it’s an all new world. We’re away from Pandora and all that, we’re on Kairos and it’s a planet that was hidden and controlled by the Time Keeper for thousands of years,” Varnell explained.
The approach ensures accessibility for all players. “It’s got thoughts on it, so it’s still tied into old Borderlands. But if you don’t know it all, because if you don’t know that, you’re gonna learn. And you’re gonna learn what the Time Keeper’s doing with that thing in control,” Varnell assured both new and returning players.
Looking to the Future
Beyond the main game, the team is exploring ways to expand the Borderlands universe. “We’re looking for more ways to let our franchise fans engage with characters,” Varnell hinted. “Comics, books, movies, other games, board games – anything you might do. We don’t want to make you wait six years every time for a new game to see if the characters you like return.”
As Borderlands 4 prepares to launch, the development team’s commitment to their global audience is clear. “We hope our audiences in China and Malaysia and wherever you are love it,” Varnell said during their first visit to China. “We want everybody to find themselves somewhere in the game and characters that they relate to.”
