When you create a franchise in the video game space, you generally have two options on the “path” you want to take with your story. You could do a path where every entry is unique, and thus only have loose connections to the story, or you can do a long, ever-building storyline that takes players on a journey that they’ll want to “play every entry to understand.” For fans of Gearbox Software’s insane shooter/RPG franchise, they’ve been on a journey for quite some time, and many expected Borderlands 4 to be the climax of what was to come. Instead, they got more building toward something that’s been well over a decade in the making.
Specifically, during a certain “Pre-Sequel,” which was released over 11 years ago, there was a tease about the “Great War.” The said war would be sparked by some of the Vault Hunters you played as during the last few games. However, when the third mainline entry was released, there was nothing truly about the Great War. So, many thought Borderlands 4 would be when it happened. Instead, after a rather good overall story, they were left with a teaser…for the Great War. Doesn’t that sound familiar…?
On Reddit, fans put Gearbox on blast because while they were fine with how much better the 4th game was compared to the 3rd, they’re REALLY stringing things along until they decide to do this war. One commenter noted:
“Upon reflection, I feel like BL4 was a soft reset that has wiped the slate clean, ready for whatever BL5 will be. For newcomers to the franchise, it works on that level. But as someone who’s played BL1, I expected a lot more, and was left unsatisfied. I don’t think there’s enough of a pull to keep my interest for another half decade.”
And that honestly is the problem here. Remember, this new title took six years to make, and even then, it’s had lots of problems since launch. As such, Gearbox Software might not have gotten a lot of “goodwill” from fans to “stick around” until the next game arrives. Plus, as they’ve proven in the last two games, they had a chance to do something with the “Great War,” and they didn’t. There’s no guarantee they’ll do it with the next game, even with the “cliffhanger” dealing with the arrival of an “old friend.”
If they don’t make an obvious indication that the next game is finally about the “Great War,” they might lose their fanbase even more.
