Borderlands 4 Teaser Trailer Contains ‘Several Secrets,’ Randy Pitchford Says — and Fans Are on the Hunt

ign.com:

gamescom 2024 got off to a big start with the reveal of Borderlands 4, the next game in Gearbox’s looter shooter series, during Opening Night Live. The announcement came via a teaser trailer, below, that on face value offers little insight into what to expect when the game launches in 2025. But eagle-eyed fans have spotted a number of secrets buried within the trailer itself, and Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford has said there are even more yet to be discovered.

“There are several secrets in the teaser for Borderlands 4,” Pitchford tweeted following ONL. “Some I have not seen commented on yet. What have you found!”

Warning! Potential spoilers for Borderlands 4 follow.

Let’s start with what has been found. The most obvious secret is a snapshot of what very much looks like Borderlands villain Handsome Jack with the vault symbol covering his face. This heavily suggests Handsome Jack, the president of the Hyperion Corporation, returns for Borderlands 4.

Looks like Handsome Jack is returning for Borderlands 4. The vault symbol perfectly aligns. (Credit to @UndeadMD for the find) pic.twitter.com/j2plLNACuk

But what else? There is eridian writing in the trailer. The Eridians are the ancient, presumably extinct alien race that serves as something of a mysterious force throughout the Borderlands series. Could the Eridians play a role on Borderlands 4?

But what does the eridian writing say? Redditor pskought believes this is a substitution cipher, and the translation works out as “HE IS WATCHING” and “BREAK FREE.”

This is all very cool, but what does it mean? Fans have a number of theories, including that “HE IS WATCHING” alludes to the Watcher, an alien of Eridian origin that appears in 2014's Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Some fans are currently speculating that The Watcher will end up as the antagonist of Borderlands 4, or at least a shadowy figure who is revealed to have been pulling the strings all along.

Meanwhile, a mysterious orange face pops up at the end of the trailer