As Gamers Express Concern About Borderlands 4 Potentially Costing $80, Gearbox Chief Randy Pitchford Says: ‘If You’re a Real Fan, You’ll Find a Way to Make It Happen’

Outspoken Gearbox main Randy Pitchford has responded to a instrumentality who expressed interest astir the imaginable of paying $80 for Borderlands 4, saying: “if you’re a existent fan, you’ll find a mode to marque it happen.”

The video crippled manufacture has made the leap to $80, archetypal with Nintendo and Mario Kart World, past with Microsoft and its terms hike announcement that volition footwear successful this vacation season. Could Borderlands 4 travel suit?

Publisher 2K Games and genitor institution Take-Two person so-far remained vague connected whether they volition spell to $80, and Randy Pitchford has insisted the determination is retired of his control. But, responding to 1 acrophobic instrumentality connected societal media, Pitchford acceptable the feline among the pigeons by saying that if you’re a “real fan, you’ll find a mode to marque it happen.”

Randy Pitchford has said 'real fans' volition find a mode to wage $80 for Borderlands 4. Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

Here’s the exchange:

"Randy, this crippled amended not beryllium 80 dollars. Don't instrumentality that risk, a batch of gamers aren't gonna wage 80 dollars and provender this conception of changeless summation of the terms tag. You are the CEO, you person immoderate accidental with the terms erstwhile it comes to your publisher."

And here's Randy Pitchford's response:

"A) Not my call. B) If you’re a existent fan, you’ll find a mode to marque it happen. My section crippled store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 successful 1991 erstwhile I was conscionable retired of precocious schoolhouse moving minimum wage astatine an crystal pick parlor successful Pismo Beach and I recovered a mode to marque it happen."

As you’d expect, Pitchford’s remark has sparked a vociferous response.

“Lmao CEO said ‘real fan’ WHOOO WEEEE successful this economy,” said 1 societal media user. “Wow that's astir apt a atrocious take... outgo of surviving situation and you’re conscionable gonna accidental 'if you’re a existent fan…' damn,” said another. “What an elitist retired of interaction response,” different said. “His solution conscionable bargain it you cognize you will. Is this however you dainty loyal consumers?” “You should person conscionable near that effect astatine 'not my call' and kept the gaslighting retired of your response," different added.

Last week, during a PAX East panel, Pitchford insisted that helium didn’t cognize the Borderlands 4 terms but refused to regularisation retired $80.

"I'll archer you the truth. I don't know. That is the truth. I'll deed it consecutive on. It's an absorbing time,” helium said.

"On 1 level, we've got a competitory marketplace wherever the radical that marque those choices privation to merchantability arsenic galore units arsenic imaginable and they privation to beryllium cautious astir radical that are price-sensitive. There are immoderate folks who don't privation to spot prices spell up, adjacent the ones deciding what the prices are.

"There's different folks accepting the world that crippled budgets are increasing, and there's tariffs for the retail packaging. It's getting gnarly retired there, you guys. Borderlands 4 has much than doubly the improvement fund for Borderlands 3. More than twice. So the information is, I don't cognize what the terms is going to be."

In a caller interview, IGN asked Take-Two brag Strauss Zelnick if the institution would spell to $80 for its games. Zelnick wouldn’t accidental either way, but did accidental consumers would beryllium “willing to wage for the precise best.”

“I person said for a agelong clip that we connection tremendous worth and that that's our job,” Zelnick said. “Of course, we surely judge that compared to different forms of entertainment, whether that's movie tickets oregon unrecorded events oregon streaming services, the worth for our amusement that we connection is conscionable astonishing, and it's our job. It's our occupation to present overmuch much worth than what we charge. That's our goal. We deliberation consumers are consenting to wage for the precise best. It's our occupation to marque the precise best.”

Earlier this month, 2K announced a cheaper than expected $50 terms constituent for Mafia: The Old Country, confirming that it is not an open-world game, alternatively a linear, narrative-driven game. The announcement was positively received, with galore fans saying they’re much funny successful a precocious quality, cheaper, shorter story-driven Mafia crippled than a bloated open-world crippled filled with repetitive mechanics.

Indeed, determination seems to beryllium a increasing telephone for much of these cheaper, manageable games, with Sandfall’s well-received Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has sold an awesome 2 cardinal copies contempt being disposable day-one connected Game Pass, held up arsenic a imaginable trend-setter.

Given Borderlands 4 is owed retired September 12, 2025, 2K Games volition person to denote the terms sooner alternatively than later.

Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].