At $70, Borderlands 4 might be a little too expensive for some people to grab on launch day, but at least Borderlands 3 is dirt-cheap right now as part of the Steam Summer Sale. On Twitter, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford chimed in on how the 95% discount on Borderlands 3--dropping the price from $60 to $3--has happened over five years after the game was first released. However, don't expect to see Borderlands 4 retail for the price of a cup of coffee--or land on subscription services like Xbox Game Pass--for a long time after launch, as Pitchford wanted to temper expectations.
"Sales like this and Borderlands 3 showing up on console subscription programs took over five years from the game's launch to happen. Take advantage when it's here! And to set expectations, it will be even longer before this kind of thing happens in the next cycle with Borderlands 4," Pitchford tweeted.
At a time when the average price of a AAA video game has jumped from $70 to $80--following decades of it being set at $60--the news that Borderlands 4 would be priced at $70 was welcomed by many fans. Of course, that's for the standard edition of the game, as the more deluxe versions of the looter-shooter will retail at a higher price. Discounts also come and go, and typically, the price on a new release drops around 10-15% several months after launch.
Of course, with enough incentive, plans can change. Borderlands 3 was given away as an Epic Games Store freebie back in May 2022, just a few years after it first launched, and it was also given away through PS Plus in July 2024.
Pitchford's comment also comes at an interesting time for subscription services, as there have been discussions by developers and publishers regarding programs like Xbox Game Pass. Former PlayStation Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida recently expressed concern about these services, but he also added that Sony's approach is "healthier" as the company only adds first-party releases years after launch.
Meanwhile, developer Rebellion's newest game, Atomfall, was "immediately profitable" and the studio spoke about why it was a good business decision to release it through Game Pass. On the other hand, other developers have spoken about the risks of Game Pass, and Microsoft has also had to address statements about how the service can potentially cannibalize game sales.
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"Sales like this and Borderlands 3 showing up on console subscription programs took over five years from the game's launch to happen. Take advantage when it's here! And to set expectations, it will be even longer before this kind of thing happens in the next cycle with Borderlands 4," Pitchford tweeted.
At a time when the average price of a AAA video game has jumped from $70 to $80--following decades of it being set at $60--the news that Borderlands 4 would be priced at $70 was welcomed by many fans. Of course, that's for the standard edition of the game, as the more deluxe versions of the looter-shooter will retail at a higher price. Discounts also come and go, and typically, the price on a new release drops around 10-15% several months after launch.
Of course, with enough incentive, plans can change. Borderlands 3 was given away as an Epic Games Store freebie back in May 2022, just a few years after it first launched, and it was also given away through PS Plus in July 2024.
Pitchford's comment also comes at an interesting time for subscription services, as there have been discussions by developers and publishers regarding programs like Xbox Game Pass. Former PlayStation Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida recently expressed concern about these services, but he also added that Sony's approach is "healthier" as the company only adds first-party releases years after launch.
Meanwhile, developer Rebellion's newest game, Atomfall, was "immediately profitable" and the studio spoke about why it was a good business decision to release it through Game Pass. On the other hand, other developers have spoken about the risks of Game Pass, and Microsoft has also had to address statements about how the service can potentially cannibalize game sales.
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