AAA Nintendo Switch 2 Release Suddenly Canceled

Gearbox Software supported the Nintendo Switch quite well and released more than a few games on the handheld console hybrid. It continued this support for Nintendo platforms when it revealed that the looter shooter Borderlands 4 would be making its way to the Switch 2 after its launch on other platforms. However, after some trials and tribulations, the Borderlands 4 Switch 2 port has outright canceled.

As noted by Variety, Take-Two’s quarterly reports showed that the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4 had been taken off the company’s upcoming slate. Take-Two spokesperson Alan Lewis told the outlet that the Take-Two had “made the difficult decision to pause development on that SKU” before noting how Gearbox was going to continue to work on content for the game on other platforms. Lewis did not give a specific reason as to why the game was canned. Borderlands‘ official social media channels have also yet to speak of this news and give more insight.

The road to getting Borderlands 4 on the Switch 2 has been bumpy. Players were first alarmed when controversial Gearbox president Randy Pitchford said it would be “mostly” targeting 30 frames per second. And since that is a relatively low frame rate for a first-person shooter, “mostly” was quite worrying for some. He also explained that even physical copies would require a download, something Switch 2 players tend to scoff at.

He also released a separate video talking about the new release date for the Switch 2 version after addressing fears about it. However, that date was eventually moved a few months later when the port was delayed indefinitely and given no new date or window. The official statement relaying the news noted how the Switch 2 port required “additional development and polish time.” This also came just over a week before said port was supposed to come out.

Borderlands 4 Has Had Technical Issues on Other Platforms

Borderlands 4 has not even been in tip-top technical shape on much more capable hardware like the PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The technical analysts at Digital Foundry documented its many issues across platforms. Along with problems keeping a consistent frame rate, its frame rate would further struggle the longer players would play. Combined with screen tearing, Borderlands 4 was rife with technical hiccups. Some of these issues were addressed in post-launch updates. Pitchford also threw fuel on the fire by snapping back at some and blaming others for Borderlands 4‘s performance near launch.

Borderlands 4 is still seeing updates on the other systems. In addition to earlier patches that added bosses, weapons, and more, it recently got a large update that brought a photo mode along with some reworks and bug fixes. The most recent roadmap lays out a general idea of what’s happening and what free and premium content is coming later in 2026. The season pass content is still rolling out, and it will add two new story expansions, two more maps, two additional playable characters, and a host of cosmetics, guns, and gear. The first story DLC is slated for sometime in Q1 2026, while the second is coming out sometime in Q3 2026, according to the aforementioned 2026 roadmap.

As of now, this cancelation marks the end of Gearbox’s recent stint porting games to Nintendo hardware. Most of the whole franchise pre-Borderlands 4 is playable on the original Switch, which includes Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Borderlands 3, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Tales From the Borderlands, and New Tales From the Borderlands. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, the fantastical 2022 spin-off, is not playable on the hardware, though.

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