Gearbox and 2K haven’t shown much of Borderlands 4 so far, but the little that we have seen so far has certainly looked like a tonal shift from Borderlands 3 in particular. The 2019 title was obviously an accomplished looter shooter and a big commercial success, but among other things, it received criticism for its over-reliance on what was deemed crass toilet humour by many. That, however, is something that Borderlands 4 seems to be steering away from, as confirmed by its narrative director as well.
Taking to Twitter, Gearbox’s Sam Winkler touched on the topic, stating that though he couldn’t yet say much about Borderlands 4, he agrees with “criticism of Borderlands 3’s overabundance of toilet humour”, before adding in a follow-up tweet that its sequel will be doing things differently.
“I’m not gonna say there’s no toilets but if the word skibidi ships in the game under my watch I’m gonna cry real tears,” Winkler wrote. “[Forbes journalist] Paul Tassi joked that we were gonna have a gun called Hawk 2A and a fellow dev asked me if it was real and I wanted to put my hand down the sink grinder.”
Humour has obviously been an important part of the Borderlands experience for as long as it has been around, though whether or not the series has succeeded in its attempts at it is a question audiences haven’t ever been able to agree on. Whether Borderlands 4 will be more successful with its attempts at humour remains to be seen, but at least the change in direction is encouraging.
Borderlands 4 is due out in 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A gameplay trailer will be revealed sometime in the year’s early months, so stay tuned for that.