Borderlands 4 Marketing
On Borderlands 4, I had the privilege of working with the talented Marketing teams at Gearbox and 2K Games, along with Bond Studios, to create multiple scripted assets in the lead-up and launch of the game in Sepetember 2025.
Scripts available on request.
Teaser Trailer: Gamescom 2024
The goal was two-fold: re-ignite the existing Borderlands fanbase’s excitement for a new entry in the series and give new potential players a memorable, intriguing tease at a mysterious sc-fi universe. Kairos, a planet hidden from the outside universe and the setting of the game, lent itself to a bold visual reveal. The appearance of the moon known as Elpis in the sky above Kairos is a direct continuation of the ending of 2019’s Borderlands 3.
Trailer: Official Gameplay
This trailer marked the first time players would hear the Timekeeper, our new villain, speak aloud. We used an extended version of his introductory monologue from the beginning of the game, using lines I had written during his character development but which I had taken out of the final script for the sake of brevity.
Short: “Purple Friday”
This was a weird pitch. Vex was our first character to get a background short, and I wanted to make sure it broke the mold. We’ve seen a million tragic origin stories or moments of valor on the battlefield; we have NOT seen a retail employee manifest supernatural powers amidst the chaos of a holiday sale. The dark tone and humor (not to mention the splattery gore) set a standard for the rest of the campaign, striking a chord with devs and fans alike.
Short: “YOLT”
One of my favorite parts of writing for Borderlands is the futuristic corporations that often serve as the major players in the broader story. Rafa, with his built-in connection to the ruthless weapons manufacturer Tediore, offered the perfect opportunity to showcase this again. While we had previously established that Rafa had an exo-suit cybernetically grafted to his body, I expanded his backstory to show the dark origins of the project. We ended up building this back into the lore of the game.
Short: “Demons”
All of our player characters have lived full lives prior to showing up in our games, but Amon presented a unique history: he’s already been a Vault Hunter for some time. By taking down a cult that is trying to open a Vault, he pays homage to the pain of his origins. We also get to see how he received one of the cybernetic patches on his body by the time of BL4 proper. I wanted to show Amon as his enemies might whisper about him.
Short: “Family Reunion”
Harlowe also had ties to an existing corporation, in this case Maliwan, as a member of the fratri- and sororicidal Traunt family. This short was a great opportunity to weave together broader elements of the Borderlands universe, showing our BL4 Vault Hunter engaging with the Maliwan army, last seen in Borderlands 3.