Borderlands 3 Teaser Trailer Released; Game Revealed At PAX East

After numerous teases, Gearbox Software has seemingly announced a new Borderlands game is coming to PAX East and released a short teaser trailer for it. While the video, which you can watch above, doesn't outright state it is for Borderlands 3 specifically, it certainly looks to be an entirely new entry in the loot-based shooter series. The teaser, which is titled "Mask of Mayhem," takes the viewer through a kind of diorama in which characters and familiar looking enemies are posed in a way that builds intrigue around what the game could be about. It also teases some of the high jinks players will get into.

[Update: Sure enough, the PAX East panel has brought word that Gearbox is making Borderlands 3. We got to see the game's first trailer, although some technical issues hampered the experience for those in attendance or watching the livestream. But the game is real, and that's not all Borderlands fans have to look forward to. Gearbox is set to release an enhanced version of Borderlands: Game of the Year edition next week, featuring improvements to both visuals and gameplay. Additionally, both Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel are getting an ultra HD texture pack that will make both games look better.]

It opens with a shot of Psychos prostrating before a very large gun-wielding character, who himself is flanked by a statue of an angelic figure holding an upside down version of Borderlands' iconic Vault symbol. As the camera moves seamlessly through and around other scenarios we get to see a dragon, a character shooting from a buggy, a bunch of figures giving each other jumping high-fives, a robot ninja, and plenty undercut swept-over hairstyles.

As the teaser reaches its conclusion, it pulls out from the madness to reveal that it was all the tapestry on the iconic mask the Psycho enemies wear. Although there's no gameplay, Gearbox is expected to show more of this new Borderlands at its PAX East panel on March 28.

That panel will be streamed live online tomorrow. The event begins at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 6 PM GMT (5 AM AET on March 29), and of course GameSpot will be at hand to bring you the news from the panel. Stay tuned for whatever announcements may come from the event.

In the past, Gearbox has confirmed that a new Borderlands is in development, but added that it may not necessarily be called Borderlands 3. "Obviously, there is going to be another Borderlands," CEO Randy Pitchford said in 2016. "We don't even know if we're going to call it that." Since then, Gearbox has been very open about a new Borderlands existing. On Twitter, Pitchford shared this new teaser with the message, "It's happening."

Over the past few weeks, Gearbox has been tweeting teases for a new Borderlands announcement, one of which was a pixelated photo of a character staring at a structure in the distance. Prior to that, there was an image of some kind of robotic creature on an operating table. Gearbox has promised "never-before-seen reveals, exclusives, and surprises" at the panel, so we'll have more information on what the developer has cooking soon. But it was pretty clear in teasing a game with a "3" in the title. Beyond that, it suggested it would have more than one game to announce.

In terms of a release date, Take Two has been teasing "a highly anticipated new title from one of 2K's biggest franchises" during its investors calls for quite some time. That game has widely been presumed to be the next Borderlands game; if that's the case, we can expect it to launch by the end of March 2020.