Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford is again at the center of outrage among the community, after recent statements regarding upcoming discounting of Borderlands 4. The controversy harkens back to that which made remarks from Pitchford regarding the game’s launch price, reportedly up to $80, the subject of much backlash before 2K Games and Gearbox officially announced a $70 price tag.
The ensuing ire started with a June 26, 2025, social media posting by Pitchford. It was in response to an official Borderlands social media update on the massive 95% discount on Borderlands 3 during the Steam Summer Sale. Pitchford wrote, “Sales like this and Borderlands 3 appearing on console subscription platforms took more than 5 years since the game’s release to occur.it will be more than that before this sort of thing occurs in the next go round with Borderlands 4.”
The posting has been broadly taken by fans as a statement that Borderlands 4 won’t have substantial price reductions or land on subscription services, like Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, for an extended period after launch, which has led to widespread disappointment.
Pitchford has since followed up that his comment was a forecast, not a policy, to reiterate that he does not have any input on price or discounting. Deep discount timing on large AAA titles typically factors in their commercial and critical success. A poor-selling or well-received critically game is normally discounted sooner. On the other hand, a successful launch can keep such price cuts at bay. With the 2019’s lukewarm reception of Borderlands 3, Pitchford’s new prophecy indicates there is a greater sense of hope for future success of Borderlands 4.
Borderlands 4 is released on September 12, 2025, for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC, with Nintendo Switch 2 in the latter part of the year. Gearbox Software is making the game and releasing it through 2K. The game will be powered by Unreal Engine 5 and feature online co-op and cross-platform multiplayer. Meanwhile, Borderlands 3 is still on sale at $2.99 on Steam until July 10.
