Gearbox Software Would Love to Make a Borderlands Dating Sim, Says Creative Director

Borderlands fans might get to romance their favorite vault hunters in a future dating sim game, according to Randy Varnell from Gearbox Software. During our exclusive interview at Bilibili World 2025, the creative director revealed that the studio has strong interest in creating this type of spin-off experience.

When asked about players being able to interact with returning characters as NPCs – including giving them gifts – Varnell shared some exciting news for fans who want deeper connections with the franchise’s beloved characters.

“We would love to do it,” Varnell said. “We do love that our fans love our characters and want more of them.” He explained that several writers and designers at Gearbox are eager to explore this idea, showing that the interest comes from within the development team itself.

“There are a number of our writers and designers in Gearbox who would love to do a Borderlands character dating sim.”

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The creative director also talked about Gearbox’s bigger plans for the Borderlands universe beyond just the main games. His job includes thinking about ways to expand the franchise through different types of media and experiences. This could include comics, books, movies, other games, and even board games.

Varnell hinted that the studio has some plans in the works that he couldn’t discuss yet, but they’re actively looking for more ways to let franchise fans engage with characters and learn more about them. The goal is to avoid making fans wait six years between main games just to see if their favorite characters return. “We don’t want to have to make you wait six years every time for a new game to see if the characters you like are the ones that return this year,” he explained. “So we’re looking for more ways to do that.”

While there’s no official timeline for when such a project might happen, Varnell’s comments suggest that Gearbox is serious about exploring different ways to give fans more time with their favorite Borderlands characters outside of the main shooting and looting gameplay.

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