As Gamers Express Concern About Borderlands 4 Potentially Costing $80, Gearbox Chief Randy Pitchford Says: ‘If You’re a Real Fan, You’ll Find a Way to Make It Happen’
Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford has responded to a fan who expressed concern about the prospect of paying $80 for Borderlands 4, saying: “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”
The video game industry has made the jump to $80, first with Nintendo and Mario Kart World, then with Microsoft and its price hike announcement that will kick in this holiday season. Could Borderlands 4 follow suit?
Publisher 2K Games and parent company Take-Two have so-far remained vague on whether they will go to $80, and Randy Pitchford has insisted the decision is out of his control. But, responding to one concerned fan on social media, Pitchford set the cat among the pigeons by saying that if you’re a “real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”
Here's the exchange:
"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."
And here's Randy Pitchford's response:
"A) Not my call. 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."
As you’d expect, Pitchford’s comment has sparked a vociferous response.
Just putting this out there: wouldn't a multiplayer-focused game like Borderlands be relatively shielded from the lads out on the high seas? Sure fitgirl could hook you up for a single-player campaign, but who tf wants to play Borderlands solo?
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.
The classic CEO fanfic... They also learn everything they need to be a successful businessman by selling lemonade in a stall
His father worked for the U.S. Intelligence as an engineer, I really doubt he had any financial problem that the "I found a way to make it happen." is anything different them "I asked for daddy's money"
Whatever. I'll do what any good PC gamer does and buy if it goes on sale for a 90% discount in a decade. Or I just won't buy it because I'll be too busy repairing my shanty/house boat. We'll see how things shake out
Yanno, I have always loved borderlands, but randy pitchford is an absolute fucking tool.
I even bought one of the diamond editions that came with a physical damn loot crate and tons of goodies with BL3, so it's not like I'm not a fan. But still, how fucking stupid do you have to be to say it like this? What a stupid jackass.
The Borderlands franchise is really past its prime at this point, anyway. I've got absolutely no issue skipping this one. Might pick it up when it's on sale for $10 in a few years. The franchise really peaked with BL2; it's been down hill since.
We'll just wait for your dumb ass to leave another flash drive in another bathroom you're getting a BJ from one of your marks in, again.
And hey Randy, if you can get all the media headlines to include the word 'exonerated' in the headlines which describe your completely confidential settlement reached outside of a courtroom, I can make shit up too.
I refuse to pay $80 for a game and Borderlands fell off after the second one, so good luck with that. $70 was also a bridge too far for 99% of games (I made the exception for gems like Elden Ring).
Does Randy even realize how much the industry's landscape has changed ?
First of all you're in competition with your older games. BDL1 and 2 had soul and were good. BDL 3 is still ok (no idea about the pre-sequel but I heard it was the beginning of the downwards trend). Not to mention the literal hundreds (even thousands for some of us) of other good games sitting in our libraries. And the indie bangers consistently proving that we don't need to pay 80$ and download a 200 Go day one patch to enjoy the medium in 2025. I hope this bankrupts Gearbox at this point.
My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.
What is 80$ in 1991 worth today? calculateme says 190$ adjusted for inflation (in 2025).
What about the minimum wage? dol.gov says $4.25, or $10.08 adjusted for inflation. Since 2009 it's $7.25.
7.25/10.08 = 0,72 or 10.08/7.25 = ~1,40
80/60 = 1.33
So we have a decrease in minimum wage by 30%, but an increase of product price by 30%.
Is this correct? Does that make it 60% more expensive than his personal analogy from 1991?
Man, the two-sided percent reference point is confusing.
Did they fix borderlands 3 yet? It came on game pass and it turns out it's impossible to play for more than 15 minutes without resetting the game and doing it from the last checkpoint. I won't be playing 4 until I complete 3, and I won't be completing 3 until it's fixed.