Borderlands 4 concept art reveals first look at all-new worlds

^{Images: Gearbox Software}

Gearbox Software has released new concept art and details for Borderlands 4.

After finally revealing its upcoming sequel to the looter-shooter franchise Borderlands, developer Gearbox Software has revealed four pieces of concept art featuring the game’s new worlds. The developer released these images at PAX West, along with an unsurprising confirmation that the sequel will feature four new playable Vault Hunters.

New images and details from Borderlands 4 released

Gearbox Software is set to launch Borderlands 4 next year, and it sounds like the developer is looking to explore previously unseen corners of its post-apocalyptic sci-fi universe in the sequel. At the video game conference PAX West 2024, the developer dropped four new concept art images from the game that show off all-new worlds players will soon be able to explore.

These locations include a mountainside militaristic compound, a cozy indoor room, and two different towns. During the developer’s livestreamed PAX West presentation, art director Adam May showed off these images while explaining that “the Borderlands universe is super interesting and there is so much to get to play with. It is a post-apocalyptic world but in the distant future, so it’s like high-tech, but lo-fi. It creates all kinds of interesting opportunities with what we can do with tech, our weapons, our characters, and the world in general.”

During the presentation, Gearbox also confirmed that one key aspect of the Borderlands franchise will not change in this sequel: Borderlands 4 will once again feature four new playable Vault Hunters, each with their own unique set of abilities. The developer said:

When we look at the Vault Hunters, the first thing that we always try to look at is 'what are some fundamental promises and fantasies that players might have that we want to explore?' Some examples might be - starting way back on Borderlands 1 - like a soldier fantasy. Straightforward, FPS-style character, carried onto Axton.

Gearbox also confirmed that it’s looking to flesh out the franchise’s RPG mechanics in this sequel, saying that “Just like our first-person side, where we're always looking to expand and add depth, we're doing that on the RPG side, but we don't want to do that at the cost of complexity.”