We’re just a few months away from Borderlands 4, which recently had its release date moved a little further up to come out in early September. A fan of the Borderlands franchise messaged developer Gearbox Software’s CEO, Randy Pitchford, over on X (formerly Twitter) expressing concern that the upcoming Borderlands 4 would be $80. This is a controversial and untested price point for video games that both Nintendo and Microsoft are set to adopt. Pitchford responded to the fan’s message, but did so in the worst way possible.
His response starts fairly, stating that it’s not his call to make. He’s the CEO of the development team at Gearbox, but he doesn’t represent Take-Two Interactive, the publisher who recently showed they’re open to $80 game prices. This is a fair response that may be true. However, he then went on to say “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen”, followed by a description of his experience in 1991 trying to save up to buy a Sega Genesis game. We’re not marketing specialists, but something tells us this is a bad way to promote your upcoming game.
In specifying that “real fans” will make it happen, Pitchford implies those that may be unable to afford Borderlands 4 at a potentially increased $80 price point are therefore not true fans. Dividing a fan base into ‘real’ or ‘fake’ based on how much they’re willing to spend is not going to be a popular move with that fandom, as can be seen in the replies to Pitchford’s post. Even the individual who initially expressed concern at the potential of an $80 Borderlands 4 said they’ve been playing Borderlands since 2009, reinforcing their status as a “real fan” even if they don’t want to pay $80.
How do you feel about Pitchford’s comments, do you think Borderlands 4 should be $80, and do you think a “real fan” needs to pay the price? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news.
