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Recommended reading Borderlands 4 certainly looks like it's taking its story more seriously: 'We wanted to go back to this sense of dread about the villain of our game' Borderlands 4 has, like, so many guns, 30 billion guns, so many they had to put 'em on a 'wall of guns' like the Matrix, say devs Borderlands 4 hands-on: Yeah, it's just 'more Borderlands,' but Gearbox's consistency is respectable and there's a cool hoverbike Borderlands 4 is hiding more than 200 collectible Marcus bobbleheads in hard-to-reach places, and Randy Pitchford reckons 'most players will never see any of them' Randy Pitchford makes people mad again by warning that Borderlands 4 will take even longer to get deep discounts than Borderlands 3 did Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford wades back into the Borderlands 4 pricing controversy: 'Game budgets are increasing ... it's getting gnarly out there' Randy Pitchford has concluded that 'Borderlands 3 is better than Borderlands 2' after looking at a Twitter poll, but Borderlands 4 will be the best, for sure Borderlands 4 Randy Pitchford says Borderlands 4's story is inspired by the sale of Gearbox, then glazes over and says it's about where we as individuals want to be on the spectrum of anarchy to fascism Joshua Wolens 14 August 2025 Which is just what I expect from the series with the pooping robot. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: 2K) We're just a month out from the release of Borderlands 4, and Gearbox CEO/magician Randy Pitchford is hitting the media circuit to tell everyone why you should be very excited for the 30 billion guns it apparently contains. But it's not all about the heaters. Gearbox has promised that—after the less-than-stellar narrative that propped up Borderlands 3—it's taking the story more seriously this time. Borderlands 4 takes place on a prison planet called Kairos, ruled over by a tyrannical overlord called the Timekeeper who's stuck a bolt into everyone so that he can kill them at will, and also peer through their eyes, should he fancy it. Which is just like Gearbox, if you think about it(?). In a chat with, uh, Epic Games, Pitchford waxed lyrical about the many guns of Borderlands 4 before shifting gears, saying that when the studio sat down to write the game's story it asked itself, "What’s the zeitgeist of the environment we’re in?" Related articles Borderlands 4 certainly looks like it's taking its story more seriously: 'We wanted to go back to this sense of dread about the villain of our game' Borderlands 4 has, like, so many guns, 30 billion guns, so many they had to put 'em on a 'wall of guns' like the Matrix, say devs Borderlands 4 hands-on: Yeah, it's just 'more Borderlands,' but Gearbox's consistency is respectable and there's a cool hoverbike Specifically, the studio was thinking about its own recent history—its acquisition by the Embracer Group and then its re-sale to Take-Two after the financial floor gave way beneath Embracer's feet. Gearbox went from an independent company to a subsidiary (and then to a subsidiary again). "There’s this cultural and emotional shift in me, personally, and at the studio," said Pitchford. "What does it mean to trade some autonomy for organization?" So far, so good. "What does it feel like to move up and down the scale between autonomy and being organized or even being controlled?" Okay, maybe straying a little but I'm with you. (Image credit: Gearbox) Then Randy gets a little out over his skis. "On one end of a spectrum you have anarchy, and on the other end of the spectrum you have fascism, totalitarianism, zero freedom. It’s not just about societies—that’s all of us as individuals, to imagine where we want to be on that spectrum and how comfortable we are." Apparently, says Pitchford, "we were going through that as a company." Which I'm not sure is strictly accurate. I don't think Gearbox was choosing where to stand on the spectrum of anarchy to fascism so much as it was changing corporate ownership, but I suppose I admire Pitchford's gusto. I'll be honest: themes of fascism and totalitarianism feel like Borderlands biting off a little more than it can chew to me, but perhaps I'm being unfair. I guess we'll figure out just what the hell Pitchford is talking about when the game hits next month. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Best PC gaming kit 2025All our favorite gear 👉Check out our list of guides👈 1. Best gaming chair: Secretlab Titan Evo 2. Best gaming desk: Secretlab Magnus Pro XL 3. Best gaming headset: HyperX Cloud Alpha 4. Best gaming keyboard: Asus ROG Strix Scope II 96 Wireless 5. Best gaming mouse: Razer DeathAdder V3 HyperSpeed 6. Best PC controller: Xbox Wireless Controller 7. Best steering wheel: Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel 8. Best microphone: Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone 9. Best webcam: Elgato Facecam MK.2 Gearbox Software Take-Two Interactive Joshua Wolens Social Links Navigation News Writer One of Josh's first memories is of playing Quake 2 on the family computer when he was much too young to be doing that, and he's been irreparably game-brained ever since. His writing has been featured in Vice, Fanbyte, and the Financial Times. He'll play pretty much anything, and has written far too much on everything from visual novels to Assassin's Creed. His most profound loves are for CRPGs, immersive sims, and any game whose ambition outstrips its budget. He thinks you're all far too mean about Deus Ex: Invisible War. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Borderlands 4 certainly looks like it's taking its story more seriously: 'We wanted to go back to this sense of dread about the villain of our game' Borderlands 4 has, like, so many guns, 30 billion guns, so many they had to put 'em on a 'wall of guns' like the Matrix, say devs Borderlands 4 hands-on: Yeah, it's just 'more Borderlands,' but Gearbox's consistency is respectable and there's a cool hoverbike Borderlands 4 is hiding more than 200 collectible Marcus bobbleheads in hard-to-reach places, and Randy Pitchford reckons 'most players will never see any of them' Randy Pitchford makes people mad again by warning that Borderlands 4 will take even longer to get deep discounts than Borderlands 3 did Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford wades back into the Borderlands 4 pricing controversy: 'Game budgets are increasing ... it's getting gnarly out there' Latest in FPS I hope you've been sharing your Battlefield 6 clips to social media, because we're only 8% of the way through the $1 trillion destruction challenge and the clock's ticking Borderlands 4 has, like, so many guns, 30 billion guns, so many they had to put 'em on a 'wall of guns' like the Matrix, say devs The Battlefield 6 beta probably is running worse for you this time around: 'We'll follow up with additional updates as soon as possible' If this beta is any indication, Battlefield 6 isn't all that serious about supporting closed weapons Team Fortress 2 player cooks themselves by destroying a Golden Frying Pan worth $6,800—for the second time Stalker 2 says to hell with it, let's just update our entire Unreal Engine implementation in new roadmap for the rest of the year Latest in News We're joining Frosthaven's party to give you a chance at winning a gaming laptop, a game key, and some swag to boot I hope you've been sharing your Battlefield 6 clips to social media, because we're only 8% of the way through the $1 trillion destruction challenge and the clock's ticking This is not an Xbox 360, it's a gaming PC in disguise Konami fumbles the ball ahead of MGS Delta's release, says the Fox Hunt multiplayer mode won't have crossplay with zero explanation White House says it's still working on the 'legality' of 15% China tax for Nvidia and AMD GPU sales as it threatens similar deals with other companies Borderlands 4 has, like, so many guns, 30 billion guns, so many they had to put 'em on a 'wall of guns' like the Matrix, say devs HARDWARE BUYING GUIDES LATEST GAME REVIEWS Best PCIe 5.0 SSD for gaming in 2025: the only Gen 5 drives I will allow in my PC Best graphics cards in 2025: I've tested pretty much every AMD and Nvidia GPU of the past 20 years and these are today's top cards Best gaming laptop in 2025: I've put the best of this new generation head-to-head and we have a winner Best gaming chair in 2025: I've tested a ton of gaming chairs and these are the seats I'd suggest for any PC gamer Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads Autonomous SmartDesk 5 review Mafia: The Old Country review—A failed experiment and a bitter disappointment Arctic Xtender PC case review Corsair Platform:4 gaming desk review Wildgate review — A brilliant concept that's too clever for its own good PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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