Borderlands 4 CEO says "If you're a real fan, you'll find a way" to pay $80 for their game

Borderlands psycho mask held in a hand with dollar signs in the eyes.
The price of Borderlands 4 is up in the air, but are those money signs I see? (Image credit: Epic Games — Take Two)

Borderlands 4 is on the way this September, and gamers are a little worried about its potential price. The founder of Gearbox and current CEO of Gearbox Entertainment, Randy Pitchford, has come out to defend the possible pricing of Borderlands 4, in a way that might just come across as tone deaf.

Last week, a user by the name of Oldgoldsot wrote, "Randy, this game better not be 80 dollars. Don't take that risk, a lot of gamers aren't gonna pay 80 dollars and feed this notion of constant increase of the price tag. You are the CEO; you have some say in the price when it comes to your publisher."

To which Randy replied, "A) Not my call. B) If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach, and I found a way to make it happen."

Promotional screenshot of a Psycho in Borderlands 4 holding a melee weapon.

Are you a real fan? (Image credit: 2K)

That's right, if you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen. While I'm not the CEO of any company, coming up with words like that is not the way to garner the praise of fans. Randy gonna Randy, I guess.

In an economy that has seen game pricing fluctuate frequently due to tariffs, layoffs, and other factors, choosing to tell anyone to go figure it out if you want it might be one of the most thoughtless responses I've ever read or heard. Like, Randy, stop at "Not my call," and then add something close to, "We'll do everything we can to make sure whatever price the publisher decides coincides with the content in-game," or something like that.

Promotional screenshot of the Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4.

Maybe you and your friends could Pitchford in on a copy together. (Image credit: 2K)

Huh, if all you need is common sense maybe I would be a decent CEO.

Keep in mind, there's no actual price being confirmed here. This is only a response to what the price may come to be. We'll have to wait and see.

At the end of the day, Randy is right about not being able to control the pricing. That decision comes down to Take-Two, which has long been rumored to be looking at a $100 price tag for Grand Theft Auto 6. With the latest delay, maybe they'll look to recover some profits with an $80 price tag on Borderlands 4.

What do you think about Randy's comments? Let us know below or on social media. I'm curious about how others feel about his remarks.

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Michael Hoglund
Contributor

Michael has been gaming since he was five when his mother first bought a Super Nintendo from Blockbuster. Having written for a now-defunct website in the past, he's joined Windows Central as a contributor to spreading his 30+ years of love for gaming with everyone he can. His favorites include Red Dead Redemption, all the way to the controversial Dark Souls 2. 

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