This is story of an extremely passionate community and a long overdue return to the mysterious wasteland planet they call home.
Gearbox Software had an idea back in 2007. They were off the heels of several successful expansions to the best game of all time, had shown proficiency at porting titles to other platforms, and the creators of a critically acclaimed World War II tactical shooter. However, this new concept that was coalescing was unheard of in the industry to that point. It was a unique idea: a game that combines RNG/RPG elements with a first person shooter.
The game I am referring to, of course, is Borderlands. Borderlands once began as a gritty, sci-fi shooter promising guns on guns eventually became a cel-shaded, dystopian dark comedy with memorable characters and unique weaponry. Gearbox had created a world in which players, stylized in the context of the game as “Vault Hunters,” would chase loot with plenty to shoot, accompanied by up to three other people. While it lacks a lot of the contemporary quality of life essentials we take for granted today, and had a user interface clearly designed for consoles over PC, the game wound up being a runaway smash hit, almost solidifying a genre of gaming that has far reaching influences to this day.
What I do not think Gearbox, or anyone at all, could have predicted, was what would happen next. Borderlands began to form deep roots in the hearts of gamers everywhere, people really treasured this trash world and it’s inhabitants. Such devotion was only further fostered in Borderlands 2, which would bring us head to head against one of the most well-crafted antagonists of all time, Handsome Jack.
Thing is… once Jack was dead, twice, what was out there to discover? Pandora had become expansive, levels were sprawling, and there were enemies everywhere. Vault hunters began to wonder what others had found, ways to maximize their own potential, and deduce what the different parts of each weapon that dropped had meant for the statistics of their guns. This coincided with the rise of both social media and content creation websites, such as Twitch.
Vault hunters began to seek each other out, especially in YouTube videos and Twitch streams to talk with each other about the best ways to kill a boss or how to achieve the fastest speed run of the game. In doing so, they began to form friendships, a bond similar to the kind you would find in old school MMORPGs such as EverQuest and Ultima Online. As more expansions to the game released, the burgeoning community continued to grow, with more and more gamers interested in the story, the game, and the guns.
Leaders began to emerge. Adept vault hunters with positive mindsets who sought to entertain and educate others about everything Pandora had to offer stepped forward, facilitating bringing even more new gamers into the fold. However, once Gearbox began to become more hands off with the game, stepping away to begin production of other ventures, these leaders kept the game alive far beyond it’s expected expiration date, with fun self-imposed rule restrictions such as “One-Life,” and “Allegiance” (wherein a vault hunter would only use equipment and weaponry from a specific armament manufacturer) and the much beloved “Hide and Seek” where three vault hunters would hide in a level, with the fourth attempting to find them.
As Gearbox began to pivot to other games, attempting to develop new franchises, and publish others’s games, Pandora began to languish. Some hunters were disappointed we had not received one more DLC, taking us to the ominous Hyperion satellite that had been omnipresent in Borderlands 2, or sending us to the moon behind it, Elpis. Ultimately, we would receive that reward in the sequel… prequel… known simply as “Borderlands: The PreSequel!” While the story of this game was incredible, despite one or two characters being much maligned, the endgame content had left much to be desired.
Bungie, by this point, had released Destiny which had been a smash hit following in the footsteps of Borderlands in the looter shooter genre, though it had a more futuristic Earth twist. Time would advance, Penny Arcade Expos would come and go, and no word was heard of a true reveal of a proper Borderlands 2 sequel. Many of the leaders would move on to other games, exploring Bungie’s immersive world or Ubisoft’s post-pandemic shooter, The Division.
Gearbox made a few efforts at outreach to invigorate some grass roots love in the community. The biggest program to that date that had been released was the “Community Badass” spotlight, highlighting community members who exuded passion and love for Borderlands. Gearbox also made some outreach every year with “The Hunt,” a community organized event in which vault hunters would have an itemized list of weapons with a point value, and sought them out. Highest score in the fastest time is the objective, with some players blazing through the list in mere days.
Everyone had been scattered to the winds, and while everyone was doing exceedingly well, there felt a vacuum, a hole in the hearts of many that we were missing that brown ball of dirt and rubbish we loved to call home. So we waited. While some were away, new leaders would emerge, creating a wealth of entertainment and content for those who remained. A few enterprising individuals would create an unofficial patch to address several lingering concerns in the game, and improve on balancing and drop rates. Still, we all waited.
On March 28, 2019, something akin to a minor miracle occurred. Borderlands 3 was finally announced, much to the rejoicing of gamers everywhere. Veterans and newer players of the series often best described such an announcement with one word: Homecoming.
Homecoming. An implication, of course, that we were going home. This game, built around the lore and history of a dumpster world was simply… where our heart was. More surprises were to come, however. Gearbox’s publisher, 2K Games, reached out to those leaders, old and new, with an invitation to become a part of something different. Something new and unique, untested before in the industry, much like Borderlands itself once was.
Ten Vault Hunters, united in one purpose, to foster a community with official recognition from both developer and publisher. That’s what the Borderlands Stream Team is, what it means to me. We all have a chance, dear reader, to become a part of something uniquely special on Twitch and in the gaming community. This is not a flash in the pan project, this is a long term, grass roots commitment to all of you, from us, and from 2K and Gearbox. One where we want to cultivate a positive environment where fans of the series can come together to celebrate all the aspects of Borderlands we love: the story, the community, and yes, all that sweet, sweet loot. For years to come.
I wrote back in 2017 that Pandora needs to call us home. Today, it has. I would not be here without the Borderlands community. I would not have been afforded the opportunities I have, becoming a Twitch Partner, hosting GuardianCon, without all of you. I look forward to being a driving force in the community, and a creator of excellent content on the home Twitch page for a long time. See you all very soon.
-Mitsu
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