Will Borderlands 4 save 2K Games?

2K Games’ biggest looter-shooter title, Borderlands 4, is out this week, but is it enough to pull the company out of its current slump?

The publisher has faced a slew of mismanagement issues, and its studio Firaxis has undergone layoffs despite the strong critical reception of its latest game, Civilization VII.

Even before its launch, Borderlands 4 faced criticism due to Gearbox Software’s Randy Pitchford’s inability to decide the game’s final price point, which is still determined by 2K Games.

On the sports front, NBA 2K26 received mixed reviews, as the annual basketball title continues to include heavy microtransactions despite being a full-priced game. The big one, the next Bioshock instalment, has suffered repeated delays and alleged reworkings, prompting the involvement of a lead developer from Gears of War and Diablo 4.

Unfortunately, this isn’t new for the company, which has fallen out of favour with the public multiple times.

Examples include its poor PR handling of Firaxis’ Marvel’s Midnight Suns, multiple delays to Bioshock titles, and mismanagement of the WWE licence, leading to the departure of long-time partner Yukes.

The chief executive officer of its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has also made several controversial public statements and decisions that have alienated customers. All those microtransactions in 2K Games titles, inspired by the success of GTA Online? That’s all him.

Based on recent reviews of the game at launch, particularly the mixed reviews on Steam that comment on the game’s allegedly unoptimised state, it suggests 2K Games may need to take a hard look at its development processes.

Short Beats

Formerly-defunct game company Acclaim has made its return, announcing nine new games: Tossdown, Ground Zero Hero, Basketball Classics, Pixel Washer, The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest, Gridbeat, Talaka, Hyperyuki: Snowboard Syndicate, and Katanaut.

Elden Ring Nightreign gets a free high difficulty mode called Deep of Night.

Indie run-and-gun shooter Neon Inferno is delayed until Nov 20.

Gamescom Asia announces Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol lead Glen Schofield as its keynote speaker. Gamescom Asia is from Oct 16-19.

Sega teases four mystery titles in its Tokyo Game Show 2025 line-up.

Level Up KL 2025 has announced the top 40 games for its SEA Game Awards 2025 showcase.

We showcased the best fan artist work in different game titles in our new fortnightly series. The first title is Genshin Impact, MiHoYo’s biggest action-adventure title.

Games Out This Week

Borderlands 4 is the next sequel to the long-running first-person looter shooter franchise made by Gearbox Software and 2K Games, slated for PC and consoles. You play as one of four new Vault Hunters seeking treasure while caught in a conflict between Kairos’ tyrannical ruler, the Timekeeper, and the resistance opposing his reign.

The new shooter brings in a ton of gameplay changes, new weaponry and systems like ordinances, mobility tools like grappling hooks and double jumps, and new faces alongside old ones like Zane, Amara, and Claptrap.

Garfield Kart 2: All You Can Drift is a new kart racing title featuring Garfield and friends, offering customisable karts, vibrant comic-style visuals, and a host of new tracks.

Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is a video game compilation of all the Bubsy games, from the original 1993 2D platformer to the terrible 1996 3D platformer.

Marvel Rivals, the most-played team-based competitive shooter title using Marvel superheroes, is now out for PlayStation 4.

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YouTube remains a key platform for video game content creators, though it has recently come under fire for controversial rule changes. Here’s a video that breaks it down humorously and insightfully.