BOSTON—At a PAX East presentation plagued with technical difficulties and magic tricks , Gearbox Software debuted the first gameplay trailer for the long-anticipated (and long-teased ) Borderlands 3.

The trailer and stage presentation highlighted the sheer number of Borderlands fan-favorite characters coming back for this sequel. Moxxi, Claptrap, and an older, redesigned Tiny Tina join Vaughn from Tales of the Borderlands, Aurelia from Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and almost everyone in between in making an appearance. The main exception is Borderlands 2 antagonist Handsome Jack: "He's dead... you killed him," Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said onstage.











Gearbox Software

















2K Games













2K Games

From the quick-cut snippets shown, the game itself looks familiar. Up to four players loot a promised "over one billion guns" (including "guns with legs") to shoot all manner of humans, skags, and mechanical foes in a variety of post-apocalyptic environs, with the help of desert-compatible vehicles and mech suits for good measure. No release date or platform information is available yet, but the studio promises more information on April 3.

Elsewhere in the presentation, Gearbox announced a 4K remastered edition of the original Borderlands coming to Xbox One, PS4, and PC on April 3. The "Game of the Year" edition adds quality-of-life improvements to the 2009 original game such as support for customizable heads and skins, an on-screen mini-map, simplified item management, and a more challenging final boss battle. PC players who own the original Borderlands will receive this update for free, Gearbox said.

Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will also receive 4K updates through a free texture pack available for the previously released Handsome Collection, also available April 3. And Borderlands 2 VR will be receiving its own updates to support the PS4's AIM controller and four major DLC packs from the original version of the game.

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Kyle Orland

Gearbox also revealed Tiny Tina's Robot Tea Party, the first tabletop game set in the Borderlands universe. The card game sees players competing to build a superior version of the robot Claptrap using various enhancements and abilities listed on the cards.

Gearbox Publishing was also on hand to announce new partnerships and dsitribution agreements with indie developers including System Era (Astroneer), Squanch Games (Trover Saves the Universe) and Hopoo Games (Risk of Rain). The last of these announced Risk of Rain 2, a 3D update to the procedural roguelike, is available starting today on Steam Early Access.

Sam Machkovech contributed to this report.

Listing image by Gearbox Software