More than six years after the release of Borderlands 2, developer Gearbox Software is finally ready to move onto the next chapter of the loot-shooter franchise. Borderlands 3 is real and the studio announced the game with a flashy trailer that shows off an even more ambitious project than its predecessors.
In the Borderlands 3 announcement trailer, we see several Vault Hunters moving across a very Borderlands-like desert wasteland, peppered with metal buildings and neon signs. One Vault Hunter grows six blue arms, which is likely her special ability, and we also see Lilith’s fiery wings come from her back. Tiny Tina will be making a return as a slightly older character, as well, and Sir Hammerlock will be back.
The environments won’t all be the same desert apocalyptic areas you’re used to in Borderlands, however. A quick montage shows several other locations, including a futuristic city with skyscrapers, rocky areas, and a forest filled with massive trees.
There will be plenty of bad guys to defeat, including fire-breathing reptilian monsters, giant bruisers with tiny sidekicks on their backs, bugs, and robots. Because this is a Borderlands game, it naturally has a plethora of guns as well, with Gearbox claiming there are more than 1 billion different combinations to choose from this time around. If Gearbox wants Borderlands 3 to keep players busy for another six years, it can probably make that happen.
Alongside the news of Borderlands 3, which we’ll learn more about on April 3, Gearbox also announced a new 4K update for Borderlands: The Handsome Collection. A remastered version of the original Borderlands called Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition is on the way, with new weapons and four DLC packs. It will mean the entire series is now playable on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with Borderlands 3 presumably coming to those consoles, as well.
Despite the trailer, we still know very little about Borderlands 3 other than it will take place after the second game and that Handsome Jack is indeed dead for good. With any luck, Gearbox will be able to shed some more light on the anticipated game come April 3 and we’ll likely hear even more at E3 in June.