Borderlands 4 is on the horizon, and Gearbox has an opportunity to avoid a typical issue with the looter shooter genre: pricing skins in a manner that leaves the players unhappy. For Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Gearbox chose to provide cosmetics as a part of the in-game progression, rather than exorbitantly priced skins or battle passes. The players enjoyed this approach, particularly given that other titles were monetising their content more and more.

Take Once Human, for example. Players complained about cosmetics associated with the individual characters, forcing developers to provide refunds and account-wide grants for the same purchase. However, server failures led to delayed adoption of these changes, highlighting the difficulties ingrained in these monetisation models.

Likewise, the shareable $50 skin in Once Human promoted the real-money trading abuses and scams that damaged the economy and the perception of fairness. These examples expose Borderlands 4 to the challenges it will have to heed in developing its monetisation system.  

Free access for players to unlock cosmetics without pay walls gives Borderlands 4 competitiveness and boosts player reputation. With many games now depending on monetisation, offering value at no extra cost may make Borderlands 4 different and a franchise that is living up to its legacy.

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