Borderlands 2 will be playable at PAX East, where attendees will be able to take control of Maya the Siren or Salvador the Gunzerker and explore Caustic Caverns! You'll find Borderlands 2 at the 2K Games booth -- check out the map here. Plus, everyone that plays Borderlands 2 will leave with an exclusive PAX East baseball tee, complete with the Vault logo.

Oh, and don't miss the Gearbox Software panel on Sunday, April 8th at 4:30pm in Manticore Theatre!

For those of you who aren't coming to PAX East, we'll be streaming Borderlands 2 coverage LIVE at twitch.tv/2k. Tune in on Saturday, April 7th from 1 - 4 PM ET and Sunday, April 8th from Noon - 1 PM ET to see exclusive direct feed gameplay and interviews with the team, including Borderlands 2 Creative Director Paul Hellquist, Art Director Jeramy Cooke, Concept Designer Scott Kester, and David "The Voice of Claptrap" Eddings!

Check out Vox Games' chat with President and CEO Randy Pitchford about the past, present and possible future of Gearbox Software - From 'Half-Life' to 'Borderlands': Gearbox rides the rocket.

We recently showed Aliens: Colonial Marines to the press! Check out pictures of the event on the Aliens Facebook, and look for previews and impressions to hit beginning April 4!

In unveiling its new GeForce GTX 680, NVIDIA invited Gearbox Software to demonstrate the new hardware with Borderlands 2. Check out what the press had to say:

The PC version of Gearbox Software's upcoming Borderlands 2 is set to support many PhysX enhancements. These include water that reacts accurately to a player's movements, rippling and splashing around the environment as you walk through it. Borderlands 2 also makes use of PhysX to render destruction. For example, fire a rocket launcher into the ground, and huge chunks of earth and gravel fly into the air. The resulting debris settles on the floor, where you can kick it around by walking through it. - GameSpot

TXAA is a combination of hardware anti-aliasing, higher (“film style”) quality AA resolve and optional temporal components for increased quality (in TXAA2) ...Not every game will support TXAA right off the bat this coming year, (Borderlands 2 and MechWarrior Online are among a few that already will)... - PC Gamer

At NVIDIA's Editor's Day, Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford showed off Borderlands 2 and how it implemented PhysX. Fluids pooled and flowed in complete real-time, and even reacted to explosions -- splashing about into numerous smaller puddles. Cloth materials reacted accordingly to foreign objects, and could even be torn and shredded when fired at. It was quite incredible how these effects could be handled with such relative ease in real-time, when just five years ago it took me several hours to render them for 3D animations on a high-end PC. - Destructoid

Borderlands 2 and Aliens: Colonial Marines will both be at PAX East! Check out the map here -- you'll find Aliens: Colonial Marines at SEGA and Borderlands 2 at 2K Games.

Oh, and don't miss our our panel Sunday, April 8th at 4:30pm in Manticore Theatre!

Did you know that we have a functional Pulse Rifle on-hand here at Gearbox? You can learn more about it over on the Aliens: Colonial Marines Facebook (facebook.com/aliensgames).

We'll be posting more images and information over time, including (hopefully) a video of it in action.

It's a busy time for us here at Gearbox Software!

Here's a quick roundup of the latest news and events:

• Aliens: Colonial Marines Coming to PAX East
  Aliens: Colonial Marines will be at PAX East! We'll have more details before the show kicks off, but one thing's for sure -- you will NOT want to miss this.
• Updated List of Borderlands 2 Premiere Club Retailers
  Check out the latest list of retailers offering a Borderlands 2 pre-order with Premiere Club access!
• 2012 Gearbox Dessert Challenge Throwdown
  The culinary competition inside the Gearbox Software expands into the arena of desserts with the first-ever Gearbox Dessert Challenge Throwdown.
• Gearbox's PAX East Panel
  Gearbox Software is coming to PAX East! Join us for our panel on Sunday, April 8th at 4:30pm in Manticore Theatre to hear from the makers of Aliens: Colonial Marines, Borderlands 2 and more! And let's not forget about FREE PIZZA!

Recently at SXSW, Gearbox's Stephanie Puri (Focus Test Manager) and Matt Armstrong (Game Designer) hosted a panel to detail the role of user research in our games, particularly in the case of the original Borderlands.

Fortunately for those of us unable to attend the presentation, some press members were in the audience and have written about it:

• Building A Better Borderlands - One Student at A Time at G4
• How Gearbox's 'Truth Team' outwitted Borderlands feedback at Vox Games

In addition, you can find the slides from the presentation here.

To learn more about eligibility and requirements for Focus Testing at Gearbox Software, visit gearboxsoftware.com/focus

Aliens: Colonial Marines will be at PAX East! We'll have more details before the show kicks off, but one thing's for sure -- you will NOT want to miss this.

The Borderlands 2 pre-order page (borderlands2.com/preorder) has been updated with the latest international retailers offering Premiere Club access!

That list can also be found on the Gearbox Software Forums in this thread.

Vote for Gearbox Software in The Escapist's March Mayhem Tournament!

Building off the success of the annual Gearbox Chili Cook-Off, the culinary competition inside the studio recently expand into the arena of desserts with the first-ever Gearbox Dessert Challenge Throwdown.

The competition was split amongst three categories -- Cake, Cookie, and Misc. Desserts -- each judged on presentation, taste, aroma, texture and creativity.

Orders for the Lilith Screenprint Poster are now open in the Gearbox Shop, but act fast: only 250 are available!

There's been a lot of going on with Borderlands and Borderlands 2 recently. Here's a quick rundown, just in case you've missed anything:

• Gearbox Talks Borderlands 2's New Characters, Multiplayer Tweaks, And Dubstep
To catch up with all the new info, Game Informer's Phil Kollar spoke with Writer Anthony Burch and Concept Designer Scott Kester.
• X-List: Best 4-Player Co-Op Games
Adam Sessler and Blair Herter count down their five favorite 4-player co-op games, with Borderlands taking the top spot!
• The key to 'Borderlands' is guns, lots of them
MSNBC recently spoke with Randy Varnell, the game's design producer, to discuss both the first and second game’s key ingredient: a dizzying assortment of firepower to choose from.
• Trophy Hunters: Here Are Your Top 10 Platinums
Did you know? Out of all the games on PlayStation 3, Borderlands has one of the most earned Platinum Trophies!

Save on Borderlands and DLC on Steam as part of the 2K Games Weekend that ends March 12!

The Hail to the Icons Parody Pack and The Doctor Who Cloned Me add-ons for Duke Nukem Forever are now available on Mac via Steam. In addition, Duke Nukem Forever and its DLC are discounted on Steam until 3/12 as part of the 2K Games Weekend!

Attending SXSW in Austin, TX this weekend? Stop by the Gearbox panel on Sunday for some insight into the making of Borderlands and the chance to come away with some swag!

User Research: Lessons from Borderlands
Palmer Events Center
Sunday, March 11 at 11:00am

Matthew Armstrong (Gearbox Software), Stephanie Puri (Gearbox Software)

User research was vital to the success of Borderlands. Puri (User Research Manager) and Armstrong (Creator/Designer/Director of Borderlands) share concrete examples from the development of Borderlands that demonstrate how anyone with a need for information and some creative thinking can get the feedback they need with the resources they have.

Orders open in the Gearbox Shop on Friday, March 9 at 11am Central. Only 250 will be available!

All of the downloadable content for Borderlands is half-off on Xbox Live for Gold members until March 12, with some Borderlands avatar items also discounted!

• The Secret Armory Of General Knoxx - 400 Microsoft Points (50% Off)
• Zombie Island Of Dr. Ned - 400 Microsoft Points (50% Off)
• Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot - 400 Microsoft Points (50% Off)
• Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution - 400 Microsoft Points (50% Off)

• Borderlands Claptrap Prop - 220 Microsoft Points (31% Off)
• Borderlands Treasure Chest Prop - 160 Microsoft Points (33% Off)

For the discount to take effect, make sure you're signed into an account with Xbox Live Gold!

During DICE, Gearbox CEO and President Randy Pitchford sat down with X-Play's Blair Herter to talk about Aliens: Colonial Marines and Borderlands 2. You can check out the segment covering both games by clicking here or the image above.

In addition, an extended Aliens: Colonial Marines interview and extended Borderlands 2 interview are also available for your viewing pleasure.