Borderlands 4 has a location that seemingly throws shade at the Embracer Group, which previously owned Gearbox. While Borderlands 4 has not been released quite yet, gamers are already discovering curious details about the title, and this locale, called “Embracer’s Bluff,” could either be an Easter egg or mere coincidence.
The eagerly awaited looter shooter Borderlands 4 will be released on September 11, becoming available for PC players at 9 AM PT and for console users at 9 PM in the same timezone. The first-person adventure game is the sequel to Borderlands 3, released by Gearbox in 2019, which has sold over 8.6 million copies to date.
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Borderlands 4's Embracer's Bluff Location Could Be a Jab at Gearbox's Former Owner
Not many people have had the chance to play Borderlands 4, but gaming media outlet Kotaku has already discovered an interesting location called “Embracer’s Bluff,” which could be Gearbox’s attempt at poking fun at its former owner, Embracer Group. Back in 2021, Embracer bought Gearbox Software during a shopping spree in which many companies were acquired. However, due to financial issues, Gearbox was sold to 2K Interactive for $500 million in 2024, during the development of Borderlands 4. As reported by Kotaku, Borderlands 4’s map contains a location called Embracer’s Bluff, which looks like a “small, ramshackle town.” Gamers can find two quests in the location: one involving a vending machine that murders its users, and another one about an evil AI-powered talking toilet.
During one of the quests, Borderlands 4 players can talk to Embracer’s Bluff king mayor, a curious NPC who can be found inside a hot tub. The location is also reported to have a huge pile of trash that people dig through. It has not been confirmed that the developers at Gearbox were, indeed, poking fun at Embracer, but this seems possible considering the events that happened in real life.
It’s still too early to tell how well Gearbox’s latest title will fare, but initial Borderlands 4 reviews are very positive, often praising its gameplay and map design. At the moment, Borderlands 4 has an average critic score of 85 on OpenCritic.
Gamers eager to play the looter shooter should know that Borderlands 4 will have a major day one update. According to the developers, the patch will improve performance, optimize the game, and correct some possible issues. Gearbox's development chief, Randy Pitchford, has already warned gamers that they should not use “below min-spec machines” to run Borderlands 4, though, and that not even the patch will be able to provide a decent gameplay experience without a powerful rig.
Borderlands 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
