Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has reacted to the backlash to his comments about how "real fans" would find a way to put together $80 to buy Borderlands 4.
In a post on social media, Pitchford said, "Nobody likes being taken for granted and it was not my intent." He added that he feels "humbled by the love and support" that people have shown to the developers as the team works to get the game finished and in players' hands.
"Regardless of where the price lands, it's going to be worth it and then some," he said.
This all stems back to comments that Pitchford made at PAX East. He was asked what the price for Borderlands 4 would be, and he said he did not know, and that ultimately publisher 2K Games would set the price point. The question came up due in part to a recent trend of companies raising prices to $80 for new games.
After this presentation, a fan asked Pitchford on social media about a potential $80 price point, which is when he replied with his "real fans" comment.
Speaking at PAX, Pitchford said it's a "gnarly" time in the video game industry when it comes to economics.
"On one level, we've got a competitive marketplace where people who make [pricing] choices want to sell as many units as possible and they want to be careful about people that are price-sensitive," he said. "So there are some folks who don't want to see prices go up, even the ones deciding what the prices are. There are other folks accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing and there are tariffs for the retail packaging."
Borderlands 4 has "more than twice" the development budget of Borderlands 3, Pitchford said, adding that he hopes the game sells as many copies as possible so Gearbox can reinvest those funds into future products. At the same time, Pitchford said he and his team see themselves as artists, and it's his hope that the game can reach the widest possible audience.
"So it's a weird thing," he said about pricing dynamics.
Nintendo is charging $80 for Mario Kart World and Microsoft is raising prices to $80 as well for some games later this year. Another 2K game, Mafia: The Old Country, is going to sell for $50 as part of an intentional bid to appeal to players who don't have a lot of free time.
Borderlands 4 releases on September 12 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It's coming to Nintendo Switch 2 as well, but there is no release date yet.
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In a post on social media, Pitchford said, "Nobody likes being taken for granted and it was not my intent." He added that he feels "humbled by the love and support" that people have shown to the developers as the team works to get the game finished and in players' hands.
"Regardless of where the price lands, it's going to be worth it and then some," he said.
This all stems back to comments that Pitchford made at PAX East. He was asked what the price for Borderlands 4 would be, and he said he did not know, and that ultimately publisher 2K Games would set the price point. The question came up due in part to a recent trend of companies raising prices to $80 for new games.
After this presentation, a fan asked Pitchford on social media about a potential $80 price point, which is when he replied with his "real fans" comment.
Speaking at PAX, Pitchford said it's a "gnarly" time in the video game industry when it comes to economics.
"On one level, we've got a competitive marketplace where people who make [pricing] choices want to sell as many units as possible and they want to be careful about people that are price-sensitive," he said. "So there are some folks who don't want to see prices go up, even the ones deciding what the prices are. There are other folks accepting the reality that game budgets are increasing and there are tariffs for the retail packaging."
Borderlands 4 has "more than twice" the development budget of Borderlands 3, Pitchford said, adding that he hopes the game sells as many copies as possible so Gearbox can reinvest those funds into future products. At the same time, Pitchford said he and his team see themselves as artists, and it's his hope that the game can reach the widest possible audience.
"So it's a weird thing," he said about pricing dynamics.
Nintendo is charging $80 for Mario Kart World and Microsoft is raising prices to $80 as well for some games later this year. Another 2K game, Mafia: The Old Country, is going to sell for $50 as part of an intentional bid to appeal to players who don't have a lot of free time.
Borderlands 4 releases on September 12 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It's coming to Nintendo Switch 2 as well, but there is no release date yet.
Source