Borderlands 4 could have looked very different – the OG RPG initially had realistic visuals that were too similar to Fallout 3, so Gearbox "rebuilt the whole game" after 2 weeks of experimenting led to its iconic comic style

A screenshot of three Borderlands characters in Borderlands Game of the Year Enhanced.

The Borderlands series is synonymous with its signature, cel-shaded, comic book-esque art style, but it originally started life with a more realistic look that developer Gearbox had to take a massive risk to move away from.

Speaking in a new interview with Game Informer, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford explains: "Before we launched it, there were a lot of people going, 'Well, cute, but it's a post-apocalyptic vibe, and id Software is making Rage and Bethesda is making Fallout. You guys are screwed.' We believed in it, but a lot of people believe in things that don't work, so are we tricking ourselves?"