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Borderlands developer Gearbox has called on fans to let it know what they want next from the next game in the franchise, as work begins on \u201can exciting overall direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Borderlands 4 just wrapped up its Year 1 of DLC, and in a note to fans today, Gearbox issued its long-awaited future content announcement, confirming more is coming to the looter shooter next year. \u201cMoving forward, Weekly Activity refreshes and Community Challenges will continue,\u201d Gearbox said. \u201cWe just wrapped our Year 1 roadmap, and the team is cooking hard on more Borderlands 4 content for next year.\u201d What this content involves beyond Weekly Activity refreshes and Community Challenges was not specified.<\/p>\n
Gearbox then spoke vaguely about its plans for the future of the Borderlands franchise, asking fans for their opinions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team is constantly listening to community feedback, and they are exploring additional character arcs, storylines, and an exciting overall direction for the future of the franchise,\u201d Gearbox said.<\/p>\n
The studio continued: \u201c… we\u2019re also taking a bigger look at the franchise as a whole. Where can we take it next? What characters do you want to spend more time with? What stories deserve a payoff? A huge part of that is listening to you. Keep the conversation going – we’re listening. Tell us what you think! Share your thoughts with us on social and tune into the Gearbox Devcast. We\u2019re always responding to community feedback on that show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t hold your breath for the announcement of Borderlands 5 or whatever the next game ends up being called, however. It sounds like early days.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll that said, big plans take time, and we need some room to work,\u201d Gearbox added. \u201cYou can trust that we\u2019ll talk more when the time is right. Now is your chance to influence what we\u2019ll say. We\u2019re listening and we\u2019re working hard for you. Thanks for being with us in the Borderlands.\u201d<\/p>\n
The announcement comes as the Borderlands franchise crossed 100 million units sold. Over the summer, fans were questioning how well Borderlands 4 had done not just in terms of launch sales, but continuing player base, and how that might have affected Gearbox’s plans, as they waited for confirmation of a second year of support.<\/p>\n
Since launching in September, Borderlands 4 has suffered various controversies, mostly to do with severe PC performance issues. Outspoken CEO Randy Pitchford went on the offensive<\/u>, responding directly to complaints on social media to Claptrap back at disgruntled fans<\/u>.<\/p>\n
Strauss Zelnick, boss of Gearbox parent company Take-Two, previously admitted that Borderlands 4 sales had suffered \u201ca little bit of softness\u201d<\/u> as a result of the technical issues, but expressed confidence \u201cit\u2019ll all be made up\u201d given enough time. The Nintendo Switch 2 version was scrapped<\/u>, with Take-Two saying Gearbox had prioritized continued “improvements” to the game on its existing platforms.<\/p>\n
All the while, Borderlands 4 remains on a \u2018mixed\u2019 user review rating on Steam. After launching to over 300,000 concurrent players on Valve\u2019s platform, Borderlands 4 now averages a concurrent peak in the four digits. Steam numbers do not paint the entire picture of a game\u2019s popularity as it\u2019s also on consoles, but it\u2019s clear Borderlands 4 could do with a shot in the arm.<\/p>\n