Borderlands 4 director says the FPS is "more intense" than others in the series while Randy Pitchford hints its toughest boss hasn't even been shown

There's some disagreement inside Gearbox Software. Borderlands 4 is touting that its recently-revealed new boss fight is maybe the studio's hardest yet, but the company's ever-chatty CEO Randy Pitchford reckons the shooter has even tougher encounters still waiting in the full game. One thing's for sure, though, Borderlands 4 could be shaping up to be the most challenging game in the series.

Gearbox recently showed off one of its Primordial Vaults - dungeons, basically, that host hordes of baddies to shoot, lots of loot to collect, and a massive boss waiting at the end. One of the only vault guardians we've seen so far is an ugly, metallic fella called Inceptus who can stab you with its steely tails before wrapping itself in a cocoon, which is where the disagreement stems from.

Actually… I can think of some bosses that go harder. Inceptus is pretty hard, though.June 25, 2025

That's certainly a bold claim, but it's not even one Randy Pitchford agrees with. Ever the contrarian, the studio head chimed in to say, "Actually… I can think of some bosses that go harder. Inceptus is pretty hard, though."

As if that wasn't enough, creative director Graeme Timmins also said Borderlands 4 "is a little more intense than previous games," but for anyone who uses the silly sci-fi series to relax and chase bigger numbers until your pupils turn to raisins, don't worry. The fourquel is apparently "still more casual than hardcore" and, of course, you can adjust the difficulty whenever you like.

Borderlands 4 has "more skills per character than in Borderlands 3 and 2 added together," Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford says: "We're working late on Fridays for you"