Borderlands 4 will be one of the first multi-platform new releases to launch on Nintendo Switch 2. While it won't be available on September 12, when the other versions launch, Gearbox is confident that it will be a really strong version of the game. According to Chris Brock, Executive Producer, Switch 2 "is powerful enough to develop Borderlands 4 and look great".
We had the opportunity to talk with Brock in our hands-on preview event in Munich, and we were naturally very curious about the Switch 2 version. Borderlands is one of the rare AAA multi-platform franchises that can be played in its entirety on the first Switch, from the first Borderlands to Borderlands 3, including The Pre-Sequel and the Telltale spin-off. Borderlands 4, as expected, will be exclusive to Switch 2, so we wondered if the more modern Switch 2 was easier to work on than the original Switch (a hardware from 2017, let's not forget).
"Yes. The Switch 2 has been an easier platform to develop on than the Switch 1. That's not to say that the Switch 1 was super difficult to develop on, but the Switch 2 has been kind of more like what we are accustomed to develop on. I'll just leave it at that."
We pressed a little bit more to know how they consider the Switch 2 to be when compared with PS5, Xbox Series X and PS4. "It's hard to say for sure. It's powerful enough to develop Borderlands 4 and look great. I can't give you more details".
It was clear that they weren't really allowed to say much about the Switch 2 at that moment (the interview was made mid-May, weeks before the launch of the console) so we instead moved to other topics, like the innovations of the gameplay or changes in the story and humour. You can read more about Borderlands 4 in our full preview of Borderlands 4 here, including new gameplay from the early stages of the story and exploration of what they call "seamless world".