Gearbox Admits Borderlands 3 'Felt Like Parody,' Promises a More Grounded Story for Borderlands 4
The road to Borderlands 4 has been paved with the shattered remains of fan expectations from its predecessor. While Borderlands 3 nailed the gunplay, its story and relentless, often cringey humor left a lot of players cold. Now, with the fourth mainline game roaring toward its September 12 release, the narrative team at Gearbox has finally opened up about the divisive story, and they're not pulling any punches. In a recent interview with IGN, the developers confirmed they're aiming for a more grounded story, and their reasoning is refreshingly honest.
Credit: Borderlands 4
The Punchline Was Parody
According to narrative director Sam Winkler, the conversations about changing the tone for Borderlands 4 began even before Borderlands 3 was out the door, admitting that developers are often a game's "first critics". He then dropped a line that will feel like sweet vindication for many fans.
"On Borderlands 3, in our worst hours, it sometimes felt like parody, and that is where we edged into a red line, I think, for a lot of fans and for myself, personally," Winkler said.
This self-awareness is the central pillar for the new game's narrative. The team explained that on the totalitarian planet of Kairos, the "Whac-A-Mole joke style" of Pandora just didn't fit the stakes of a world living under global oppression. The new mandate is for humor that arises organically from characters and situations, rather than jokes that are just for the player's benefit. Lead writer Taylor Clark even joked that Winkler made it clear that "if I tried to put a meme in the game, he would come to my house with a baseball bat".
Building a Better Bogeyman
A huge part of grounding the story involves the new villain, the Timekeeper. The team feels the pressure of creating a successor to the iconic Handsome Jack, with Winkler comparing the challenge to creating a villain as scary as Darth Vader in Star Wars.
Unlike Jack's hot, personal animosity, the Timekeeper is a more distant, all-powerful, and inescapable threat who rules the entire planet from his high tower. You won't be getting constant phone calls from him telling you you're a dick. Instead, his menace will be felt through the world itself, as nearly every NPC the player meets has been screwed over by his totalitarian rule in some way. This approach aims to make the villain feel more omnipresent and woven into the fabric of the world, a lesson they learned from how effectively Jack's tyranny was reflected in the people of Pandora.
So... What About Ava?
When asked about the future of controversial Borderlands 3 character Ava, Winkler was understandably coy but offered a sliver of hope for those who felt her story was mishandled. He stated that while he couldn't confirm any specific character appearances, he isn't a fan of killing off characters off-screen and believes in completing storylines.
He acknowledged the complaints and his own issues with her portrayal, admitting they were unable to show some of her more "heartfelt moments" in the base game and used the Director's Cut DLC to explore what her relationship with Lilith could have been. It's a clear sign that the team is aware of past missteps and is looking to build back trust. This whole interview feels like a course correction, and frankly, it's the best damn thing I've heard about Borderlands 4 yet.