Gearbox Software boss Randy Pitchford continues to speak out regarding the price point of Borderlands 4, which remains a mystery. Posting on social media, Pitchford said that first and foremost he does not want people to pay "any more than they should or are comfortable with." He's saying this after he controversially said that "real fans" will find a way to find $80 to buy Borderlands 4 if it costs that much.
"I always work with the intent and hope that a customer always feels they got the better end of the deal no matter what they pay," he said.
With his "real fans" comment, Pitchford said he was responding to a person who suggested Borderlands 4 would "fail" at $80.
"What I was trying to do was explain that it wasn't my call but that if a $10 price increase does happen (since that's obviously where the industry is going), it will be okay and that 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 said.
He said he "triggered some people" by using the phrase "real fans," going on to push back against the idea that he was trying to make "some big statement."
"I could see that it was being pressed into the idea that I was taking the audience for granted (which is a super shitty look, but it was not at all my intent and does not reflect at all how I feel)," he said.
Pitchford went on to say that, as an artist, he doesn't want to see price increases because that might limit how many people could play it. At the same time, Pitchford is a businessman and he said he understands that "business is a thing and that the market and economy are driving prices up."
"Sooner or later we're going to have to all adapt to that so that the creative engine can make at least as much as it spends to provide us with amazing content," he said.
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.
2K, the publisher of Borderlands 4, will set the price of Borderlands 4. Exactly what that price will be remains a mystery and may not be confirmed until preorders open.
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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"I always work with the intent and hope that a customer always feels they got the better end of the deal no matter what they pay," he said.
With his "real fans" comment, Pitchford said he was responding to a person who suggested Borderlands 4 would "fail" at $80.
"What I was trying to do was explain that it wasn't my call but that if a $10 price increase does happen (since that's obviously where the industry is going), it will be okay and that 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 said.
He said he "triggered some people" by using the phrase "real fans," going on to push back against the idea that he was trying to make "some big statement."
"I could see that it was being pressed into the idea that I was taking the audience for granted (which is a super shitty look, but it was not at all my intent and does not reflect at all how I feel)," he said.
Pitchford went on to say that, as an artist, he doesn't want to see price increases because that might limit how many people could play it. At the same time, Pitchford is a businessman and he said he understands that "business is a thing and that the market and economy are driving prices up."
"Sooner or later we're going to have to all adapt to that so that the creative engine can make at least as much as it spends to provide us with amazing content," he said.
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.
2K, the publisher of Borderlands 4, will set the price of Borderlands 4. Exactly what that price will be remains a mystery and may not be confirmed until preorders open.
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