Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel release date revealed with a snappy dance number

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is set to arrive in North America on October 14, 2014 and “internationally” (probably not including Antarctica) on October 17, 2K Games confirms. We celebrate this joyous revelation with a techno-laden trailer featuring a dance number that’s informed by input from Harmonix, apparently. Why? Because Gearbox Software comes up with oddball ideas, like Harmonix dance numbers and frown failures and dance kittens.

Fine. Dance kittens are perfect.

Here’s that trailer, but be sure to read past it if you want to know about how to get free bonus stuff for your game.

Free bonus stuff? Pre-orders! Put down some money early and you’ll get a code to download the Shock Drop Slaughter Pit, an airless death arena that you get to fill with the blood of your enemies. For you Borderlands 2 aficionados out there, it’s probably similar to the Creature Slaughter Dome DLC, only with the added constant threat of suffering a terrible, oxygen-deprived death. You know, for fun.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel follows four new playable characters into outer space. Set before the events of Borderlands 2, you shoot things and loot guns (to shoot bigger things with) as Athena, Wilhelm, Nisha, and Claptrap — all of whom have appeared to some degree as NPCs over the course of the series — while in the employ of the future-villain-to-be-known-as-Handsome Jack. All of this happens on or near Pandora’s lone moon, Elpis.

Read more about it in our first look preview. There are laser guns and ice bullets and low-gravity-assisted butt stomps. You’ll be able to get back to the Borderlands come October 14 when The Pre-Sequel comes to PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.