Is Gearbox pranking us with this Borderlands 3 release date tweet?

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Reminder: today is April Fools' Day, but this doesn't feel like a joke

If you're going to leak your own game's release date, I guess today would be the day to do it. You could always backpedal and say you were kidding. That said, a new and now-deleted tweet from Gearbox said Borderlands 3 will release on September 13, and I'm not ready to write it off as a poorly handled joke. 

The tweet in question was archived here by a ResetEra user. "Mayhem is coming September 13," it reads. "Pre-order now for the Gold Weapon Skins Pack!" You can't watch it via the archived version, but the tweet also used the same GIF seen in this tweet about Borderlands 2 Shift Codes: 

It's easy to assume this was all a joke on Gearbox's part, but a few things make me think this was a genuine marketing hiccup and the release date is legitimate. Firstly, tweeting a false release date isn't really a joke, even for the low bar of April Fool's Day. Secondly, if Gearbox was just joking around, it probably wouldn't have deleted the tweet within minutes. Thirdly - and this just another hunch on my part - the fact that the deleted tweet used the same GIF as another recent tweet suggests some wires got crossed among Gearbox's social media team. 

On top of that, according to a now-deleted Twitter ad recorded by Wario64, Borderlands 3 will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. This wouldn't be a huge surprise: from The Division 2 to Metro Exodus, Epic has been snapping up all kinds of big exclusives lately, though it says it will tone down the exclusivity in time. 

This is all to say nothing of the fact that a proper Borderlands 3 reveal is scheduled for this Wednesday, April 3. Gearbox has been promising "more information" coming on Wednesday since the release of the first Borderlands 3 trailer, so it's pretty safe to assume the release date will be shared soon. So, it's entirely possible that Gearbox will confirm a release date of September 13 this week through a proper gameplay showcase. We'll find out soon enough. 

In the meantime, keep your grains of salt handy, because fans previously predicted Borderlands 3 would release on October 1 based on secrets hidden in its trailer. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.