Borderlands 4 is coming soon. Like, super soon. It's less than three months away at this point, and not only will it maintain a decent price point, unlike Microsoft and Nintendo, but it's also eliminating a feature I've come to dislike over the last few years.
Dune: Awakening recently launched on June 5.. uh, wait, no it didn't. It launched on the 10. June 5 was the date for players who paid $20 more for the deluxe edition and were granted what Funcom called a "Head Start."
While the game is fantastic, and I have a review I'm currently cooking up, I can't help but admit I'd be one of those players paying for early access. I have massive FOMO, especially when it comes to MMO and survival games. Dune: Awakening is the double whammy to end all whammies.
Borderlands 4 is forgoing this practice with their latest Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions. Something they also did with Borderlands 3!
The very concept of early access, popularized by companies like EA and Microsoft with titles such as Battlefield 2042 and Forza Horizon, has been a significant stain on the gaming industry.
Every year, we see massive releases that players miss out on for almost an entire week because of these early access periods. Just this year alone, we've had Atomfall, The First Berserker: Khazan, and Dune: Awakening.
While I was critical of Borderlands 4 pricing their Super Deluxe Edition at $130, I have to give credit where credit is due. Getting rid of early access bull is the absolute best thing Borderlands 4 can do that's unrelated to its actual gameplay.
Seriously, aren't you all tired of having to pay an extra few dollars to play the game on its actual release date? Let's not kid ourselves here; early launch periods are exactly that, the real launch day.
Fear of Missing Out is driving sales
FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out, is the current driver of these deals. Even Dune: Awakening uses this as its sales pitch, referring to it as the "Head Start" period. You get a literal jump on the competition, earning ores and other materials days ahead of anyone else.
The FOMO doesn't stop with simple advantages, but pulls the strings of players' hearts. What happens when an absolute banger of a game like Hogwarts Legacy comes out? Do you ignore it for a few days or jump on the hype train a couple of days early?
Sure, many people will forgo the early access period and choose to wait, but just how many people are we talking about?
Looking at the most recent example, Dune: Awakening, the game managed to attract over 100,000 concurrent players during its early access period. Since then, the peak has reached 189,333 players.
While it's not definitive proof, after reading this, it would be a fair assumption that over half of the sales for Dune: Awakening took place during the Head Start period. I don't think those players bought it just for the cosmetic packs.
The need for the next thing drives us to purchase something like this. Why wait, when for the price of two Subway sandwiches, I can jump into Arrakis now? I can start wandering the grounds of Hogwarts or thwarting demons in Diablo if I pay a few extra dollars.
Even Randy Pitchford, the man notorious for "Randy gonna Randy" comments, has come out swinging, boasting about the fact that Borderlands 4 won't have any paid early access. Instead, they're releasing the game sooner for all editions of the game.
I am so stoked that Borderlands 4 is $69.99 and not $80. I am so stoked we’re not doing any paid early access stuff and moved the date earlier to Sept 12. I am stoked that we are planning a TON of awesome DLC.June 17, 2025
I'm tired of it. I'm fatigued by players being able to pay for early access to the same game everyone else is getting access to for $20 more. I'm exhausted by the number of games I want to play, but I have to wait because I didn't want to pay the premium to do so.
In their pursuit of profits in an industry plagued by bloated budgets, overshadowed by leaner indie games like Clair Obscur and The Alters, publishers have lost sight of what truly matters: the player experience.
It’s time to ditch near-pay-to-win mechanics, like those in Dune: Awakening, where paying for early access grants faster access to better weapons and gear, leaving others behind. Let’s level the playing field — same game, same day, same time for everyone.
No trend in gaming deserves to get pulled from storefronts more than this one.
What’s your take on paid early access? Is it fair game, or does it ruin the vibe? Share your thoughts below or connect with us on social media. Maybe I'm all alone with this idea.
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