Professional Work · Shipped AAA

BORDERLANDS 4

Level OwnershipCombatTraversalOpen WorldArt Handoff
Project Overview

My Contribution

Official Trailer · Gearbox Software / 2K

Publicly released footage is shown for project context. The contribution details below reflect my individual work within the larger collaborative development team.

I worked on Borderlands 4 from 2022 through launch as an Associate Level Designer. My work spanned independently owned levels, inherited production content, main and side missions, and open-world activities.

My responsibilities covered nearly the full level-design pipeline: blockout, combat and encounter design, traversal, exploration, puzzle gameplay, art handoff, playtesting, bug fixing, performance optimization, and final polish.

StudioGearbox SoftwareRoleAssociate Level DesignerProduction2022 – LaunchStatusShippedEngineUnreal Engine
01 · End-to-End Ownership

Built complete level spaces

Owned major content from early blockout through art handoff, gameplay iteration, optimization, final polish, and ship.

02 · Production Takeover

Carried inherited work forward

Assumed ownership when team needs changed, quickly evaluating existing design and bringing content to shipping quality.

03 · Campaign Collaboration

Supported the wider game

Contributed across missions and open-world content through hands-on development, playtesting, peer reviews, and actionable feedback.

Featured Ownership

Ripper Queen Fortress

Initial Blockout → Ship

A complete mission-driven space

Independently owned a roughly one-hour Fortress combining combat, traversal, mission flow, exploration, art handoff, and the final boss environment.

When a major piece of content moved to another mission during production, I rebuilt the surrounding route and pacing with Mission Design and Level Art to preserve a cohesive player journey.

Inherited Level · Shipped

Fortress Indomita

Production Takeover

Combat flow and final delivery

Took ownership of Fortress Indomita during production and carried the inherited level through ship.

Updated encounter sequencing, enemy placement and pressure, player routes, cover, pacing, and overall combat flow. I also handled bug fixing, performance optimization, and final polish.

Regional Content Ownership

Lopside & Tonnage Peel

Following a teammate's departure, I took over existing level-design content across the Lopside and Tonnage Peel regions.

I reviewed and updated activities throughout both assigned areas, including Safehouses, World Events, Crawlers, hidden collectibles, and other exploration content.

The work required rapidly understanding another designer's intent, identifying gameplay and production issues across many content types, and coordinating with partner disciplines to bring the regions to a consistent quality bar.
Campaign Content

Mission Contributions

Shipped Ownership

3+ Side Missions

Owned multiple Side Missions from blockout through ship, including spatial layout, combat, traversal, art handoff, iteration, bug fixing, and final polish.

Collaborative Contribution

Main Mission Support

Took over an in-progress Main Mission during blockout and substantially rebuilt its layout and combat. The mission later passed through several designers, so this work is presented as a production contribution rather than final ownership.

Working Across Disciplines

Collaboration & Delivery

I worked most closely with Mission Design and Level Art, translating gameplay blockouts into final environments while protecting combat readability, traversal, player flow, and mission requirements.

I also collaborated with Boss Design, Game Design, and Production, and contributed to wider campaign quality through playtesting, design reviews, peer feedback, bug fixing, performance optimization, and final polish.

Mission Design
Level Art
Boss Design
Game Design
Production
Peer Feedback