When a developer is about to reveal the next installment in one of the most beloved video game franchises in recent memory, you’d expect the game to be introduced on a cushion of swan feathers that’s borne aloft by four greased eunuchs or something. You know, something incredibly extravagant to really highlight what a big deal it is.
What we got instead was one of the most horrific reveals ever witnessed.
Borderlands 3 has been highly anticipated by fans since Borderlands 2 came out way back in 2012 and so all eyes was on the Gearbox Software stage at the 2019 PAX East convention. But rather than just introduce the game and then show the trailer, what we got was a display of ego, cringe, schadenfreude, and for the poor developers who worked so hard on the game, pity.
No amount of antics from Claptrap could’ve saved that mess.
It all began quite nicely with Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford giving time to show off some upcoming non-Borderlands games from the studio. But things quickly went downhill when he got onto the Borderlands stuff.
First he introduced a brand new board game titled Borderlands: Tiny Tina’s Robot Tea Party, which was cool and all until Randy thought it would be cool to unbox the game onstage and combine it with a card magic trick. If that sounds cringeworthy, it was.
Over the course of the next 15 minutes, Randy fumbled and sweated his way through an on-stage manual read before roping in some audience members for a card trick, which would’ve been cool if he could, you know, actually do card tricks. The best (worst?) part of this segment was Randy completely forgetting the trick and reaching for an audience member’s phone to YouTube a video on how to do said trick. Her reaction is simply priceless.
When Randy says, "I need that video to learn how she does the magic trick!" pic.twitter.com/tCRil3tIAp
— Grubb (@JeffGrubb) March 28, 2019
Randy mercifully got off the stage after the card trick and gave the spotlight to some of the hardworking developers who have been working on the upcoming Borderlands 3 and remaster of the first Borderlands game.
But sadly, things didn’t improve as we went from terribly cringeworthy to outright pity because of various technical difficulties, such as the trailer not playing properly. Then for some reason, Randy made his way back onstage and basically attempted to commandeer the presentation away from the poor developers. Nails on a chalkboard would be less painful to endure than what happened there.
Listen Gearbox, just give the fans what they want, share the spotlight with the hardworking people who are making the games, and for the love of Jebus, leave the magic at home.
If you have an iron cast stomach for awkwardness, then here’s the entire fustercluck of a presentation.
Now mercifully for fans and gamers, Borderlands 3 actually looks pretty damn cool.
The trademark cel-shaded art style is back and glowing, vaults and vault hunters are back, a heap of beloved characters and protagonists from all the previous Borderlands games are returning in some form, and there are several massive new worlds that look amazing.
Oh and there are guns. Lots of guns.
So if you want to skip all the cringy stuff and get straight to the meat of it, here’s the Borderlands 3 trailer. No idea on when the game will be released yet but hopefully that reveal will involve less Randy and magic.