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‘Borderlands 3’ First Look? Unreal Engine 4 Tech Demo At GDC Teases Fans

By Simon Alvarez
Published on: 16:24 PST, Mar 1, 2017

Rumors and speculations have been abounding about Borderlands 3, Gearbox Software’s upcoming follow-up to its blockbuster series. While very little about the game has been confirmed by the developer, a short teaser shown during CEO Randy Pitchford’s presentation at the Game Developers Conference might have provided a detailed first look at the upcoming title.

A Polygon report stated that during the CEO’s presentation, attendees were shown how Unreal Engine 4 was utilized and applied to Borderlands‘ classic heavy-outlined look. The presentation was quite brief, starting with basic shapes to a particularly interesting scene featuring what appears to be a new character standing behind a tent.

Over the course of Pitchford’s presentation, numerous Borderlands fans noted that some of the parts of the Unreal Engine 4 tech demo appeared almost game-ready. While the CEO was quick to state a disclaimer stating that the teaser might not be featured in a future blockbuster project, those who viewed the demo were quite convinced that the presentation’s contents are, in one way or another, related to the Borderlands franchise.

Apart from this, while the Gearbox CEO stated that the Unreal Engine 4 demo is primarily focused on showcasing the technology as applied to Borderlands‘ unique art style, Pitchford did state that some of the contents in the teaser included assets for “a future video game,” according to an IGN report. With the developer itself confirming last year that its follow-up title after Battleborn and its DLC would be Borderlands 3, speculations are high that the assets in the Unreal Engine 4 demo belong to the upcoming blockbuster title.

Yet another notable aspect of the Unreal Engine 4 demo was the fact that the face of the character model featured in the tech teaser was hidden. During the presentation, Pitchford stated that the character in the demo was a “production asset,” which means that he or she would most likely be featured in an actual game.

Very few details about Borderlands 3 are known at this point, except the fact that it is the developer’s next high-profile release. During Pitchford’s announcement last year at PAX East, the CEO revealed that Borderlands 3‘s staff would include art director Scott Kester and writer Mikey Neumann.

In a lot of ways, it would greatly benefit Gearbox to release Borderlands 3 at the soonest time possible. With the company’s latest flagship game, Battleborn, falling in popularity after the release of Overwatch, it is extremely pertinent for Gearbox to ensure that its next title would be a massive hit that can carry the company for years to come. Among its lineup of gaming titles, Borderlands appears to be the franchise that the developer could truly bet on.

If there is anything that could be determined from Pitchford’s previous statements, it appears that Gearbox is really not sparing any expense in the development of the upcoming game. In a statement back in January, Pitchford revealed that the company was speaking with Nintendo about the possibility of releasing Borderlands 3 for the Switch.

Though Pitchford eventually stated that the negotiations with the Japanese gaming giant were unsuccessful, the simple fact that Nintendo, which is notoriously closed to third-party developers in the past, actually was in talks with Gearbox is a pretty good indication that the developer is most likely looking into a wide, cross-platform release for Borderlands 3. If any, fans of the FPS franchise should expect the next blockbuster title to be released for the PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Pro, Xbox One S, and the upcoming Xbox Scorpio.

The original Borderlands title was released back in 2009, to critical and commercial success. Borderlands 2, a direct sequel to the original, was released three years later, in 2012. A third title, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, was also released to the market in 2014.

[Featured Image by Bago Games|Flickr|Cropped and Resized|CC BY 2.0]

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