Borderlands 3‘s timed exclusivity on the Epic Games Store for PC is about to run out. Alongside today’s announcement of the second DLC for Borderlands 3, at PAX East, Gearbox announced that it will release the game for Steam on March 13, 2020. Available to add to your Steam Wishlist now, Borderlands 3 will arrive on Steam with crossplay compatibility with the Epic Games Store version.
Borderlands 3 crossplay between Steam and the Epic Games Launcher is made possible thanks to SHiFT matchmaking. Through SHiFT, PC players will be able to add friends to their Friends List, join co-op parties and play together online “regardless of which PC platform each player is using.”
Additional Borderlands 3 crossplay features will be implemented following the Steam launch. This includes the ability to mail weapons across platforms.
Crossplay between two PC ecosystems is great, but what about between consoles? We asked Gearbox about this ahead of the announcement at PAX East.
Borderlands 3 Crossplay
Speaking with Anthony Nicholson, Gearbox’s Head of DLC Production about console crossplay for Borderlands 3, he told me there aren’t any current plans. It’s odd because, on PC crossplay, he told me that Gearbox had been working on it for some time.
We always care about getting as many people playing as possible, comfortably too. We understand some people have different preferences for their platform or console that they play on.
Early on in development, we started thinking about how we make it so as many people can play with each other and they can have the preferences they want.
Still, Nicholson said that Gearbox is always listening and is intrigued by what the fans want. He said, “If there’s a lot of noise for it [console crossplay] then it will definitely be something that Gearbox and 2K would look into.”
As for Nintendo Switch and VR versions of Borderlands 3, Nicholson again said that Gearbox has no plans.
PC players who prefer Steam and have been waiting for Borderlands 3 will be excited to finally get their hands on the game. Nicholson told me that players purchasing the game on Steam will have the same options available as already exist on the Epic Games Store. He said that there won’t be a special Steam version or bundle, only that Steam users will be able to purchase those bundles that already exist.
PC crossplay between Steam and Epic Games Launcher is great and an excellent way for Gearbox and 2K to unite the PC community, however, console players are still siloed. There are plenty of cross-platform console games available today that it makes sense for Borderlands 3 to join the ranks.
As Nicholson said, if fans make enough noise, Gearbox will look at it. So, go make some noise.
Borderlands 3 launches on Steam, March 13, 2020.
