The highly anticipated Borderlands 4 has officially launched, with developer Gearbox Software hosting a vibrant red carpet event in Dallas to mark the occasion. The release celebrates six years of development and signifies another milestone for the burgeoning Texas gaming industry. Meanwhile, late-night host Conan O’Brien made a memorable appearance, playing the game for charity and offering his unique take on the Borderlands universe.
A Texas-Sized Celebration
Frisco-based Gearbox Software, a company founded in 1999, celebrated the worldwide release of Borderlands 4 at Gilley’s Dallas. The event highlighted the game’s six-year development cycle and its significance as a major export for North Texas’s rapidly expanding $5.5 billion gaming industry. Gearbox Entertainment President and CEO Randy Pitchford expressed his pride, noting that early critical reception suggests Borderlands 4 is the best in the franchise yet. He emphasized the game’s appeal to both long-time fans and newcomers, describing its aesthetic as "a borderland between weird and cool."
- Borderlands 4 marks a significant achievement for Gearbox Software and the Texas gaming industry.
- The game is set in a new, unexplored region of the galaxy.
- Gearbox aims to welcome both new and returning players to the Borderlands universe.
- Texas is now the third-largest video game hub in the United States.
Conan O’Brien’s Chaotic Charity Playthrough
In a special segment for his "Clueless Gamer" series, Conan O’Brien took on Borderlands 4 to support the non-profit Next for Autism. O’Brien’s playthrough was characteristically humorous, with the comedian quickly expressing his disdain for the iconic robot character, Claptrap, calling him his "least favorite trash can." Despite encountering technical difficulties, including a game crash, O’Brien managed to defeat a boss and concluded the segment by promoting the charity and the game’s availability.
Performance and Expectations
Initial performance tests of Borderlands 4 reveal a familiar pattern for the series: launch day can be rough. Testing on both minimum-spec and high-end PCs, reports indicate that while post-launch patches may improve stability, players can expect some initial hitches and frame rate drops. The game’s demanding visuals and open-world design appear to strain even powerful hardware, with upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR being crucial for smoother gameplay, especially on lower-end systems. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford acknowledged that older hardware might struggle with the latest AAA titles, a sentiment echoed by many players experiencing performance issues.
Sources
- Borderlands 4 launches, marking another win in the Texas gaming industry, WFAA.
- Conan O’Brien played Borderlands 4 for charity, but somebody should have told him about the Claptrap mute
button: ‘He’s my least favorite trash can’, PC Gamer. - I’ve tested Borderlands 4 on a minimum spec PC and a monster RTX 5090 rig, and it runs just as
‘Borderlands-at-launch’ as you’d expect, PC Gamer.
