Gearbox Entertainment is making some interesting changes with Borderlands 4, from a seamless world without loading screens to Licensed Parts, allowing weapons to have properties from multiple manufacturers. However, it’s also somewhat returning to its roots and removing the minimap, introduced from Borderlands 2 onwards.
CEO Randy Pitchford addressed this at PAX East (transcription via PC Gamer), noting the team had “made a big freaking world” and that “A lot of the things you do can be local space, but a lot of the things you do or want to do are out there, and a local space map is not a good way to navigate when you’re thinking about objectives and opportunities – several at the same time that might be miles away – and a compass really helps us do that.”
The regular map is still available, and players can pull it up at any time. However, this change in direction is more about Gearbox wanting players to “Play the game and not play the map. So we made a commitment, and we put all of that investment into this compass system, and you still have the big map. It’s one click away.
“And we put more cool stuff in there than we’ve ever done before. We even have, like, an AI-driven kind of navigation system that will give you a GPS on the big map to show you the line of where you can go.”
Though the development team is “open to thinking about things in the future,” Pitchford asked players to “[P]lay the game first and understand the choices we’ve made, and I think you’ll see and understand when you realize how big this world is and how playing the game in the world is better than playing the map.”
Borderlands 4 launches on September 12th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. The price has yet to be announced, with Pitchford unaware, though he believes it could cost $80.
Stay tuned for updates, and in the meantime, check out some story mission gameplay highlighting the traversal, combat, and new Vault Hunter skills. Gearbox has also confirmed that you can replay story missions and boss fights. Head here for more details.
