“I cannot incorporate your headcanon”
A hugely popular series like Borderlands has a rabid fanbase full of their own ideas for future installments, and while that’s fine, contacting Sam Winkler in the hopes of having them made canon is not the way to go.
on X, Wrinkler said: “Don’t send me your Borderlands theories or story ideas. Seriously. I will not read them. I cannot incorporate your headcanon (even if I like it myself) or ‘fix’ a story beat (even if I didn’t like it myself).”
The writer goes on to say that he’s all for talking about writing “as a craft and a career,” but he doesn’t want “advice on what you think I or anyone else should do with Borderlands.”
That’s not to say he doesn’t value fans’ time and energy; far from it. “I absolutely *love* that you all have these theories/ideas/fanfics,” he added. “Lord knows I had mine back when I was solely a fan outside of Gearbox. I’m solely talking about people making suggestions with the intent to either canonize them or affect my work.”
What Winkler and the Borderlands team have in store for the future is unknown. Borderlands 4 has yet to be officially announced, but a sequel to the fantasy-filled spin-off Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has recently appeared in a LinkedIn profile, implying Gearbox has plans for a lot more looting and shooting.
The Borderlands studio, which was purchased by Embracer for $1.3 billion in 2021, could potentially find itself under new ownership in the future. According to a September 2023 report, the company is considering selling the studio following interest from third parties.