The day has arrived, one of immense mayhem, looting and monster killing. Sept. 13 marks the release of the wild and zany Borderlands 3. But there seems to be a slight disconnect with potential fans: Where’s the hype?
Outside of Gearbox President and CEO Randy Pitchford’s elated retweets and quoted reviews, Twitter is devoid of excitement. Can the looter shooter prevail against highly-anticipated fall releases? Destiny 2 will soon launch its Shadowkeep expansion. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare launched yesterday. And, there are many more interesting titles slated for the holiday season. Is this sleek new Pandora (now filled with even more planets) capable of drawing in the crowds of Vault Hunters like its predecessors? Or will it become a long-forgotten sequel akin to Mass Effect: Andromeda?
Gearbox did very little in the way of marketing for the game. Aside from the Borderlands humor-laden ad campaign, there’s not much mainstream fanfare. Many potential players immediately rejected the game due to its Epic Games Store exclusivity. The recent Fortnite crossover event angered even more people. Gearbox floundered fan potential for Borderlands 3 enthusiasm by disregarding players and favoring profits.
It doesn’t help that a series of low-tiered reviews started pouring in only days before the scheduled release. Gearbox also set some strange restrictions for reviewers in the first place. As noted in Jason Schrier’s article via accounts from Polygon:
The last part of that quote is especially telling. This was days before launch, yet Gearbox had to warn reviewers it was still working on the game. Thanks to the common practice of day one patches, developers frequently work on titles until the eleventh hour. But the fact that Gearbox felt it was necessary to warn reviewers beforehand isn’t a good look.
“Instead, they set reviewers up with new Epic Games Store accounts with the game unlocked, and gave us a few warnings about the game being a work in progress.”
Another review via PC Gamer’s James Davenport suggests the game remains in a time warp:
Whatever its transgressions may be, Borderlands 3 has own sense of humor that not everyone appreciates. The repetitive gameplay, weird story beats, and unlimited loot all work in tandem to deliver a one-of-a-kind sensation. And it’s all falling flat due to the company’s past.
“It’s stuck in the late 00’s, when surface level vulgarity was enough to qualify as edgy—Borderlands 3 is seriously obsessed with turds—and when the series was first conceived.”
If it weren’t for shady business dealings and atypical 2K reviewing practices, the title could excite more people. Alas, it seems the only one who’s as hyped as the long-time fans is Randy Pitchford.
Fan response to SupMatto’s YouTube channel shutdown paired with Randy Pitchford’s remarks only bolster the idea that Borderlands 3 won’t be a success story. In fact, many of these actions are lessons. They show what not to do before publishing a high profile sequel with a long-standing, massive fanbase.
Main among these lessons is that brands shouldn’t fire off that misrepresent the truth on social media because these messages will haunt a person. Steam users want to know how Randy Pitchford is even CEO of Gearbox.
As Destiny 2’s Shadowkeep expansion nears its Oct. 1 launch, many are wondering if Borderlands 3 can outlast its rival. Destiny 2 experienced its own rocky launch but prevailed by targeting players, rather than finances. Developers add a consistent bevy of content to Destiny 2. Bungie does this to improve overall gameplay and bring more and more armaments to the table.
With an exciting endgame planned, Borderlands 3 warrants at least some varied playability options. But can this game withstand its counterpart?
Although it appears as tantalizing as ever with innumerable weapons and an emphasis on absolute mayhem and zany humor, Borderlands 3 seems best at ignoring players. Gearbox instead seems to expect the praise and adulation it so desperately craves merely for the Borderlands name. It probably won’t fail outright. But let’s face it: Borderlands 3 only proves that the Vault Hunter days on Pandora are well over.
NEXT: Borderlands 3’s Villains Are Using Social Media To Get Away With Murder
