Borderlands 4 fans will have to 'find a way' to buy it if it costs $80, says Gearbox CEO

Randy Pitchford has angered fans concerned about Borderlands 4's price

(Credit: 2K Games)

• 😬 Gearbox's CEO, Randy Pitchford, has been quite bullish in a recent exchange on X over whether Borderlands 4 will cost $80

• 🤔 He told one fan that “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen”

• 😮 $80 has since become a new pricing tier for games after Nintendo announced Mario Kart World would cost more than $70

• 📆 Borderlands 4 is due for release on September 12, and has no price has been announced at the moment

The CEO of Gearbox, Randy Pitchford, has been rather bullish about what fans should do if Borderlands 4 costs $80, arguing that “if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen” to pay for the game.

In a recent exchange, a fan expressed concern that Borderlands 4 could cost $80 when it releases on Nintendo Switch 2 (as with Mario Kart World and some upcoming Xbox games), Pitchford responded by saying pricing “wasn't his call”, and that a “real fan” would find a way to fork out for the game.

Randy’s exchange with a concerned fan. (Credit: The Shortcut)

His response also included an anecdote about Starflight on Sega Genesis being available at his local game store for $80 in 1991, and what he did to buy it.

“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,” Pitchford replied.

As expected, further fans' responses to Pitchford's comments have been less than positive. One referred to Pitchford's response as “elitist” and “out of touch”.

At a recent panel at PAX East, Pitchford doubled down on not knowing the price of Borderlands 4, but didn't rule out the aforementioned $80 price tag. The argument for a higher price could be that, according to Pitchford, Borderlands 4 development costs were more than twice as much as Borderlands 3. A price hike for the game would help make it potentially more profitable for Gearbox.

Borderlands 4 is scheduled for release on September 12, 2025, and it’s release date was recently moved up from the originally scheduled September 23. This move, according to Pitchford, had nothing to do with GTA 6, even though both games are the property of Take-Two Interactive. Instead, it was to do with the developer's “confidence” in the game.

It turns out that Pitchford was telling the truth, as GTA 6 has since been delayed to May 2026.

• Up next: GTA 6 release date probably won't be delayed again, says Take Two's CEO

Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.