The return of Pearlescent gear in Borderlands 4 is undoubtedly exciting, but for fans dreaming of the return of classic Pearls like the Hyperion Nemesis, it might also serve as a painful reminder that four of the franchise's major manufacturers will not be returning. Interestingly enough, it's also entirely possible that the two design decisions might be connected. Given the franchise's history, the lack of weapons from certain manufacturers in Borderlands 4 might have been a calculated trade-off, specifically to ensure the successful implementation of Pearlescent weapons.
According to Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, Pearlescent weapons were scrapped in Borderlands 3 to maintain crossplay functionality, as memory problems on consoles meant their implementation would've required entire manufacturers to be cut from specific platforms. Now, Borderlands 4 is missing four weapon companies: Atlas, Dahl, Hyperion, and COV weapons. Considering that the game is getting Pearls post-launch as well, it's not unreasonable to assume the studio might have shifted gears.
Technical Difficulties, Pearlescents, and Borderlands 4's Missing Manufacturers
Borderlands 4 is launching in a different generation, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles offering substantially more memory. These newer platforms don't seem likely to be replaced anytime soon, and developers seem freer to implement ambitious features without the hardware limitations that plagued the previous generation. Still, the absence of these manufacturers suggests that Gearbox may have once again been faced with trade-offs.
After all, Borderlands 4 aims to have a much larger scope than its predecessors. The game introduces the all-new open-world, Borderlands 4's planet of Kairos, while reportedly having almost no loading screens. These ambitious leaps may have required Gearbox to rebalance its resources, with manufacturers becoming casualties in favor of seamless exploration.
Borderlands 4's Licensed Parts System Means Gearbox Could Have Its Cake and Eat It Too
It's worth considering, though, that these cuts and the implementation of Pearlescents might've always been part of Borderlands 4's roadmap. The improved technical foundation suggests that the manufacturer's cuts may have been strategic choices rather than necessary compromises. Additionally, through Borderlands 4's Licensed Parts, Gearbox might have found the opportunity to have the best of both worlds.
By stripping the missing companies' weapons down to parts, Gearbox may have streamlined manufacturers to both evolve Borderlands 4's gun design and make room for the return of Pearlescents without having to compromise like it did in Borderlands 3.
Borderlands 4's new Licensed Parts system means new weapons and gear will look radically different. Guns can now incorporate behaviors and abilities from multiple other manufacturers, creating hybrid weapons with unique traits. The most exciting element of this system is that manufacturers with actual weapons — Tediore, Maliwan, Jakobs, Vladof, Torgue, Order, Ripper, and Daedalus — can now feature parts from absent companies, suggesting these manufacturers haven't been entirely removed from the game's ecosystem.
An example of Borderlands 4's Licensed Part system, shown in footage from PAX West, was a Jakobs pistol that was thrown when reloaded, a trait previously exclusive to Tediore Weapons.
How Hyperion, Atlas, and COV Could Return as Pearls in Borderlands 4
The presence of Pearlescents and the weapon parts from missing manufacturers opens up intriguing possibilities for speculation about Gearbox's long-term strategy with Borderlands 4. For one, Gearbox could be saving these manufacturers for a dramatic return as Pearlescents. Since Pearls have always been regarded as the rarest loot tier, assigning the missing manufacturers to them would give players an extra incentive to chase the rarity.
Pearlescent weapons in Borderlands 4 could then become the exclusive home of these manufacturers, allowing for their specific traits to be balanced according to their rarity. For example, a Hyperion shotgun with the Jakobs critical damage increase, or an Atlas smart-weapon with lock-on tracking that uses any ammo type due to a Daedalus part. This approach might make Pearlescents feel more meaningful and recontextualize how these companies are perceived, both in-game and by players.
In-universe, this shift in design could be used to expand Borderlands 4's narrative as well. If certain brands are locked behind loot rarity, their lower drop rates could be explained canonically. This would let Gearbox integrate lore into the loot system itself, making the return of these companies feel like a narrative as well as a mechanical payoff.
The Odd One Out Among Borderlands 4's Lost Manufacturers
The decision to keep Atlas, Hyperion, and COV parts in the game indicates Gearbox has not abandoned these brands completely. By contrast, one absence seems more permanent: Dahl's. With no parts included in the game, Dahl may genuinely have been cut to further streamline the Borderlands 4 weapon pool. This decision could have been made to reduce redundancy with other manufacturers while freeing up resources for the Licensed Parts system and expansion to Pearlescents.
Then again, the total exclusion of Dahl is one of the game's most curious decisions, as it's consistently been one of the more narratively essential companies to the lore of the Borderlands franchise. Kairos is said to be a planet untouched by the outside galaxy, but that could always change, especially considering that there's an empty space, both narratively and mechanically, in the hole left by Dahl as a manufacturer.
Pearlescent Integration and Borderlands 4's Uncertain Future
A final element worth noting is that the decision to introduce Pearlescent gear through DLC (rather than at launch) also provides Gearbox with the opportunity to track player preferences and the weapon balance meta. By observing how players interact with the existing manufacturers and the Licensed Parts system, Gearbox might be better equipped to reintroduce the other weapon brands. This more measured approach might ultimately result in a more polished experience when these manufacturers do return to the Borderlands universe.
At the end of the day, the only thing players know is that Pearlescents' return in Borderlands 4, when considered alongside the game's missing companies, raises quite a few questions, particularly about the complexities of Borderlands 4's development and Gearbox's roadmap for future content. For now, it's unclear if the absent manufacturers are primed for pearlescence, permanent losses, or if they could represent reserved content for future DLC releases.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
