Borderlands 4 Is The “Most Open And Free” Game In The Franchise, But Randy Pitchford Wouldn’t Call It An “Open World” Game

Gearbox boss and head Randy Pitchford was clearly overjoyed to showcased Borderlands 4 with the gameplay reveal it got at The Game Awards 2024, and that reveal has given fans of the series plenty to talk about.

Which is exactly what they’ve been doing, and while Pitchford of course isn’t policing any discussions, he is trying to help fans use the right words, and context, for what’s to come.

For example, Pitchford wouldn’t call Borderlands 4 an “open world” game, because, according to him, “the term comes with a lot of baggage that doesn’t apply. You’ll see,” he said in response to a Borderlands content creator that called Borderlands 4 ‘open world.’

But even though the term ‘open world’ doesn’t apply to Borderlands 4, Pitchford and the Gearbox team made a clear decision to try and make Borderlands 4 feel much more open than previous games.

“Borderlands 4 is the most open and free ever,” Pitchford told GameSpot in an interview that went live alongside last month’s trailer. A choice made directly to get away from what Borderlands 3 was like, which Pitchford called “more compartmentalized.”

Whatever Borderlands 4 ends up being, after the disappointment that was Borderlands 3, veteran fans are probably happier to hear the team has at least made some choices that turn away from what Borderlands 3 was.

Source – [GameSpot, GamesRadar]