Allegedly, the owner of Borderlands creator Gearbox Software is in talks of selling the studio to another parent company. With such large stakes at hand, Borderlands 4 needs to be a huge success for Gearbox.

Borderlands 4 has some big shoes to fill following the mainline franchise games, the spin-off games, and the upcoming Borderlands movie. With a staggering amount of unresolved storylines, as well as industry and fan expectations for the game's quality to meet particularly high standards, Gearbox Software can't pull any punches for Borderlands 4.

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Borderlands 4 Can’t Afford Failure

According to reports from Reuters, rumor has it that Embracer Group, the current parent company of Gearbox Software, is looking to sell the studio soon, with speculation pointing towards such a deal occurring after the release of Borderlands 4. With the imminent sale of Gearbox Software supposedly on the line, the pressure for Borderlands 4 to perform well is at an all-time high to establish the value of Gearbox Software and the potential for the studio to remain under its current ownership by Embracer Group.

Aside from the alleged pressure riding on Borderlands 4 from inside the financial side of the gaming industry, fans of the franchise also have extremely high expectations for the game. Leading up to Borderlands 4, the latest releases from the Borderlands franchise are the DLCs for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. On Steam, the current reviews for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands are “mostly positive” for the base game, while reviews for each of the individual DLCs are all “mostly negative.” With this in mind, for Borderlands 4 to be successful, it has to win back the fans who have recently been disappointed, and to do this Gearbox ultimately needs to play all of its cards.

Not only does Borderlands 4 have to win back some fans that were lost through the spin-off games, but the game also has to handle players that are new to the franchise with just as much care. With the Borderlands movie coming out soon, the Borderlands franchise is likely going to see a rise in first-time players. With the ownership of Gearbox supposedly at stake, the timeline of Borderlands 4 releasing shortly after when the Borderlands movie comes out means that Borderlands 4 can be a make-or-break moment for the franchise to hook new players.

Borderlands 4 Needs to Wrap up the Franchise’s Loose Ends

With the future of the Borderlands franchise in a fragile situation, it’s crucial now more than ever for Borderlands 4 to finish all the franchise's ongoing stories. Between the Watcher's War and the fate of the existing Sirens, Borderlands has its work cut out for it to wrap up some major storylines.

The Watcher's War was set in motion a long time ago in the Borderlands franchise, but it has yet to be elaborated on since. Consequently, not much is known about what the Watcher’s War could entail, but it's said that the war will require the effort of every known vault hunter, so it's anticipated to be a major moment in the franchise.

Aside from finally exploring the Watcher's War, Borderlands 4 must also pick up where Borderlands 3's ending leaves the franchise. Specifically, there are still several questions that need to be answered concerning Borderlands' most iconic Siren, Lilith. Lilith has been a major driving character for the overarching story of the Borderlands games, and rightfully so as one of the most powerful characters in the universe, so Borderlands 4 needs to give this character’s journey a proper conclusion by now. A few of the other known Siren characters are also due for some closure after Borderlands 3 set these characters up for new arcs.

Borderlands

Borderlands is an action RPG first-person shooter created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K Games. The series is commonly called a looter shooter set in a space Western style, where players can select from multiple classes that can level up and acquire new skills. The franchise has quickly become one of the best-selling franchises and produced spin-offs like Tales from the Borderlands as well as a film adaptation being developed by Lionsgate.