Borderlands 4 Art Director Adam May Interview
One of the things that has always helped the Borderlands franchise stand out is its art style. Of course, the series’ trademark combat and wicked sense of humor are part of the success story, too. Sometimes mislabeled as a cel-shaded style, the art more closely resembles a graphic novel or even an exquisitely detailed comic book. Adam May, Art Director for Gearbox’s upcoming Borderlands 4, was kind enough to clear this up for good. Mostly, though, he enthusiastically described ways in which the game charts new visual territory.
An Unreal Improvement
May has worked at Gearbox for nearly twenty years and was the art director on one of my favorite Borderlands spinoffs, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. But Wonderlands, as great as that game looked, was throttled by having to use the same engine as Borderlands 3. Additionally, it had to be compatible with last-gen systems. So while Adam May and his team didn’t lack vision, their ambition was somewhat compromised by the tech.
Those roadblocks don’t exist in Borderlands 4, which uses Unreal Engine 5 and a suite of add-ons and supplemental software. One of the features May is most excited about within UE5 is dynamic inking, which allows for exponentially larger numbers of art assets on screen. If you’ve seen video or screenshots of Borderlands 4, you’ve probably noticed that some areas of the new planet of Kairos are green with lush vegetation. The shift to UE5 and dynamic inking meant that the environments could be densely filled with foliage. May said that there’s some trickery involved. Blades of grass and other foliage are drawn in as clumps, for example.
Art and Game Play Connect
I asked May about the complex relationship between gameplay and visuals. Do the demands of combat mechanics, level design and narrative dictate the art design? In reality, there’s an exciting synergy between art design and how the game plays. For example, the new UE5-driven tech means that the game can draw far greater distances without losing detail. That little perk is a big win for the team designing the game’s weapons. The new sniper rifle can take full advantage of those improved draw distances, for example.
Probably the biggest back-and-forth between art direction and game play comes in the significant area of level and world design. Borderlands 4 is an essentially open-world game and the planet of Kairos is an immense playground. But this kind of diversity of biomes meant that both the technology and art team had to meet the challenge of designing interesting spaces to explore.
May emphasized just how intentional and focused the art team was in helping players become immersed in the new look and world of Borderlands 4. While the vibrant lush and green spaces are new, May said that the familiar grimy, dusty, browns and greys are there, too. There are many little touches to look forward to, like the moment of being temporarily blinded when emerging into the light from a dark cave. Collections of details add up to a more convincing world.
State of the Art
Adam May started his career as a 3D designer for film and animation. At some point, he decided he wanted to work on projects where those design came to life, moved and could be controlled. May has worked on all the prior Borderlands games in one capacity or another. For Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and now, Borderlands 4, May has directed impressively large teams of artists.
The art of Borderlands has influenced a number of other games. For example, the recent First Berserker: Khazan has a comic/graphic novel style that’s clearly in the same wheelhouse as Borderlands. I asked May to talk about some general trends in video game art design. While he didn’t name names or cite specific examples, May talked about games in which characters are abstract blobs or shapes, and how hard it is to become emotionally invested in those designs.
Adam May is incredibly passionate about Borderlands 4. It’s clear that May and his team have poured an immense amount of creativity, skill and ambition into the game. As a big fan of the franchise, I was already excited about the new release. After talking to Adam, September 12 can’t come soon enough.
***Thanks to Adam May for this interview***