Gearbox Software wouldn't necessarily call its upcoming looter shooter behemoth Borderlands 4 an open-world game, but it is seamless and you will be able to travel to any location in sight without loading screens, so we might just be splitting hairs here.
In response to one content creator who called Borderlands 4 open world, Gearbox CEO and occasional magician Randy Pitchford tweeted that he wouldn't use those worlds because "the term comes with a lot of baggage that doesn't apply.
You'll see." In an interview with Gamespot, Pitchford elaborates that Borderlands 3's world was "more compartmentalized" since the player was jumping across a bunch of different planets in the threequel.
Borderlands 4 sets itself apart by being the "most open and free" game in the series run so far. Pitchford calls out one specific shot in the most recent trailer where our party gazes over the horizon, and explains that "everything you're seeing is playable space that you can get to and reach without a load time." When asked if the moon of Elpis that shows up multiple times in the trailer - the same one from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel - is also "playable space" reachable without a loading screen, Pitchford just says "Everything in the scene." But if you can drive to far off cities, run up any old mountain, and even reach the moon without waiting for the game to load, then how is Borderlands 4 different from any other open-world game?
Pitchford argues that it's all about intent: "We care so deeply about combat dynamics and care so deeply about that moment-to-moment feeling.