Borderlands 4 is almost here, and it's bringing a large bag of goodies to the franchise's doorstep once it arrives. From four new Vault Hunters, each with an unprecedented combination of skills, to a seamless planet filled with plenty of activities, Borderlands 4 has a lot in store for players. However, "a lot" isn't always a good thing, as that ultimately comes down to how it's all executed. And based on a recent comment made by the head of Gearbox, "a lot" might not even do the actual quantity justice.
In a recent interview with IGN at Gamescom, Gearbox's Randy Pitchford stated that the developer was "tripling down" on side content, as opposed to simply doubling down on it. Of course, he added that players don't have to do any of it if they don't want to, but not only is that almost a given with side content, it's not always a good thing for its optional nature to be emphasized. If a game has side content for players to complete, it needs to be optional while simultaneously feeling essential to the story, world, and the player's experience — and that's a balance that is increasingly difficult to strike the more side content a game has.
Borderlands 4's Side Content Push Risks Undercutting Its Story
Borderlands 4 Can Have More Side Content, But It Needs to Mean Something
On the one hand, if Borderlands 4 wants to have that much side content, it's okay. After all, Kairos is both seamless and massive, and with the game's renewed approach to how optional content is integrated into the whole experience, it could work. However, where it might go wrong is if the majority of that optional content provides little context to the main story, the world, and the characters in it. Since Borderlands' side quests have a tendency to be little more than fetch and kill quests, Borderlands 4 adding even more to that pile may not be the best move for it to make.
Instead, it should ensure that side content enriches the context in some way rather than simply giving players an opportunity to earn some extra cash or other rewards. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's side content, for example, helps add life and depth to its world and characters, as the game's quest structure in general revolves around narrative and worldbuilding. With Borderlands 4 tripling down on side content, this is something it really needs to consider, lest that content eventually feel boring, repetitive, and pointless.
Borderlands 4's Main Narrative Still Needs to Be the Show-Stopper
It's not just about making sure the side content is still interesting enough to do either, as too much meaningless optional content can trivialize any game's narrative. If there are too many interruptions, whether they are barely hinted at or all but thrown in the player's face, Borderlands 4's main story could be inadvertently placed on the back burner. If players have far too much side content to do that doesn't somehow enhance the overarching narrative, that narrative risks feeling disjointed, to the point that players might even forget where they're at in the story once they get back on track.
In essence, the majority of Borderlands 4's side content needs to somehow be traced back to its main story, and it can do that by fleshing out lore, developing characters further, and perhaps even dynamically changing the world depending on what players do or don't do. This would ensure that the game's optional content remains optional but still feels essential, all while reminding players of the main reason why they are doing said content in the first place. Hopefully, Borderlands 4 has considered the fact that quantity and scale do not inherently produce quality.
Borderlands 4
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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
WHERE TO PLAY
