Borderlands boss criticised for saying “real fans” will “find a way” to pay $80 for new game

21 May, 2025

'Borderlands 4'

Borderlands boss Randy Pitchford has received criticism for saying “real fans” will simply “find a way” to spend $80 on the new game.

Borderlands 4 is due to launch September 12 after having its release date moved forward due to the “confidence” of the development team

According to the official description, “Borderlands 4 is a mayhem-fueled looter shooter, jam-packed with billions of weapons, outrageous enemies, and intense co-op action.” Players can explore the dangerous hidden planet Kairos as one of four new badass Vault Hunters,” and will launch on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

However pre-orders for the follow-up to 2019’s Borderlands 3 have yet to go live, with fans worried about how much the new game will cost.

One fan shared their concerns with Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. “Randy, this game better not be 80 dollars. Don’t take that risk, A lot of gamers aren’t gonna pay 80 dollars and feed this notion of constant increase of the price tag. You are the CEO, you have some say with the price when it comes to your publisher,” they wrote on X.

“A) Not my call,” said Pitchford in his reply. “B) If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen,” he added.

His blunt response has angered a lot of Borderlands fans. “This is such an alienating, infuriating, rude, and condescending way to address your customer base,” one wrote on X. “CEOs remain undefeated in the ‘being a presumptuous arrogant out of touch asshole’ competition,” said another. “All he had to do was not say something stupid for four more months,” added a third.

Michael Douse, the publishing director behind Baldur’s Gate 3, went on to call Pitchford’s comments “gross”.

“It assumes your game is more important during a cost of living crisis than, for example, making it day to day,” he added. “Real fans are people who love & understand what you do, keep track, and engage with your shit regardless of how much they spend.”

Earlier this year, Nintendo announced a “variable” pricing system for the Switch 2 that means games such as Mario Kart World will cost £75 due to their replayability and how much time went into development.

A few weeks ago, Xbox confirmed global price rises for consoles and other bits of hardware due to “market conditions and the rising cost of development”. However the move didn’t go down well with players. “We’re watching gaming go from being largely accessible to a luxury experience,” said one fan.

In other news, Neil Druckmann has said The Last Of Us Part 3 could still happen, despite shutting down rumours of a sequel earlier this year.

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