Image credit: 2K Gearbox

A significant online discussion erupted over the potential $80 price of the upcoming Borderlands 4, largely involving Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.

The controversy began when a fan tweeted Pitchford, urging him not to risk an $80 price tag, arguing that many gamers would not pay it and it would fuel constant price increases.

What Happened?

Pitchford’s reply became the focal point of the backlash. He stated, “A) Not my call. B) If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen“. To illustrate his point, Pitchford shared a personal anecdote about working minimum wage in 1991 to afford Starflight for Sega Genesis, which cost $80 at the time. This response was widely perceived as “inflammatory and out of touch”. Ironically, this whole situation unfolded after Pitchford had previously tweeted about how Twitter interactions can spiral out of control.

Community Backlash Explained

The reaction to Pitchford’s comment was overwhelmingly negative, characterized by anger and frustration. Some users expressed intentions to pirate the game, while others pleaded with Pitchford to simply apologize to protect his developers and the game’s hype. One user directly told Pitchford he had made players “feel bad and alienated them for not wanting to pay $80 for his game”.

The backlash was not confined to fans. Michael Douse, a developer for Baldur’s Gate 3, publicly criticized Pitchford’s “real fan” comment, calling the remark “gross”. Douse explained that it implies purchasing a game is more important than a person’s ability to afford basic necessities or “making it day to day”. This interpretation of Pitchford’s comment was noted as “not at all an unfair interpretation”.

How Gear Giveaway Backfired

While initial references under this heading indicated no information was available on a “Gear Giveaway”, subsequent details reveal a related incident where Randy Pitchford promoted a free offer that also backfired. Pitchford used his platform to promote Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a Borderlands spin-off, which was available for free on the Epic Games Store as a weekly offer.

Pitchford promoted this offer by stating, “For our real fans who may be a bit cost-sensitive, the fantastic and incredibly funny video game hit Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is FREE this week… Please enjoy this FREE gift by grabbing your FREE copy here, FREE“.

This promotion immediately sparked criticism from fans. One user questioned whether Pitchford truly believed “sneaky remarks to your consumers about being ‘cost-sensitive’” were appropriate. Another fan highlighted the repeated use of “free” as a sarcastic jab following his earlier “real fans” comment regarding the $80 price. Pitchford defended his promotion, stating it was “an honest truth that there are core gamers who… cannot afford a $10 price increase,” and he wanted them not to “overlook that this is a FREE offer for an amazing game. Free is the keyword!”. This incident became another polarizing contribution from the CEO.

Pitchford’s Response

Following the intense negative reaction, Randy Pitchford made multiple attempts to clarify and defend his statements. He initially responded to criticism by mentioning the “massive development budget for Borderlands 4” as a potential reason necessitating a price increase.

Later, in a lengthy Twitter post, Pitchford offered a more in-depth explanation. He began by apologizing for “misunderstanding,” emphasizing his sincere truth that he doesn’t want anyone to pay more than they are comfortable with.

Pitchford claimed his intent with the original comments was to explain that the price wasn’t his decision. He was trying to convey that “if a $10 price increase does happen” (suggesting a potential jump to $80 from a standard $70), “it will be okay [and] Borderlands 4 will be okay because it’s a great game and there are a lot of fans who will see the value and want it”.

He insisted the “real fans” comment was merely him “trying to shorthand” this idea, and it was “inflated as if I was making some big statement”. Pitchford acknowledged seeing how people interpreted it as him “taking the audience for granted,” which he agreed “is a super shitty look, but it was not at all my intent and does not reflect at all how I feel”.

The conversation took an interesting turn when a Borderlands streamer tweeted dialogue from a Handsome Jack AI, created by feeding it Pitchford’s original tweet. The AI’s sarcastic, villainous response to the $80 price concern prompted Pitchford to tweet, “Boy howdy, JackGPT, is that how I sound? My bad, but cheers…”. He followed this by reiterating, “In seriousness though, nobody likes being taken for granted and it was not my intent”.

He expressed gratitude for the team’s support and stated they are working hard to deliver an “amazing game,” which he believes will be “the best Borderlands ever!” and “worth it and then some” regardless of its final price.

Pitchford also shared his broader perspective on rising game prices. While he stated he doesn’t want prices to go up because he wants “everyone to have access,” he acknowledged that “business is a thing and that the market and economy are driving prices up”. He feels that eventually, everyone will need to adapt so that the “creative engine can make at least as much as it spends”.

He encouraged considering that the people creating entertainment are “actual, real people” trying to make “cool stuff,” and noted his choice to be accessible online was to help people “gain some perspective and some dignity in how they choose to interact”. One source suggested that posting less might be the solution to such controversies.

Conclusion

Pitchford’s attempts to alleviate the situation have yielded mixed results; some have been appeased, while others have dismissed his explanations, with terms like “gaslighting” being used.

Conversely, some fans accept that rising game prices are inevitable and not solely the responsibility of one individual. Pitchford has been involved in social media disputes multiple times over the years, earning a somewhat negative reputation, though past controversies haven’t seemed to negatively impact Gearbox game sales.