Borderlands 4 Narrative Director Speaks About Its Grounded Story After BL3 ‘Sometimes Felt Like Parody’

Borderlands 4 narrative director Sam Winkler has spoken about the game’s grounded approach to its story, after claiming that Borderlands 3 “sometimes felt like parody.” Many fans hope that Borderlands 4 will resemble the earlier games in the series in terms of its tone, rather than what was presented in the most recent mainline entry.

While 2019’s Borderlands 3 was largely praised for the advancements it made in overall gameplay for the series, its writing and tone came in for plenty of criticism from fans. The wacky tone and focus on gags have always been central to Borderlands’ identity, but it’s a delicate balance that writers must carefully manage, else it can be off-putting for players. The consensus is that the first and second game found this balance, whereas the third missed it.

Borderlands 4 Dev Thinks BL3 “Sometimes Felt Like Parody”

Speaking to IGN, narrative director Sam Winkler has confirmed that Borderlands 4’s story will take a step back from the overwhelming level of humor in the previous iteration. “I think that we had some own internal critiques about the tone and the level of humor present in Borderlands 3,” Winkler said, mentioning that he went back to previous games in the series to see how their tone stood up today. Of the 2009 original, he said, “a lot of the humor came out of situations. Comedic, usually darkly comedic, circumstances, but also the way things were named, the text in the mission accept, that sort of thing. I think that contributed a lot to players’ perception of Borderlands 1 as having a more dark, grounded tone.”

Later, Winkler said, “I think that on Borderlands 3, in our worst hours, it sometimes felt like parody, and that is where we edged into a red line, I think, for a lot of fans and for myself, personally. So, we wanted to look towards other media that could balance that. [That] could balance both humor, levity, and authentic character storytelling that takes itself seriously.” Also present in the interview was lead writer Taylor Clark, who claimed that “the grounded tone was a priority.” While many Borderlands 3 jokes have already aged poorly, fans can only hope for this acknowledgment and shift in direction to lead to an excellent Borderlands 4.

With the criticisms of Borderlands 3, as well as the controversial Borderlands movie from last year, it’s crucial for the franchise’s overall health that the next game be a success. Borderlands 4’s September 12 release is fast approaching, so gamers don’t have long to wait to find out if Gearbox has struck the right balance this time around.