Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford’s Response To Rumored ‘Borderlands 4’ Price Tag Is A ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ Moment

'Borderlands 4' (Image: Gearbox)

Borderlands 4, a “mayhem-fueled looter shooter,” has garnered attention for its rumored high price, prompting an official response from Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford, the developer of Borderlands, on X.

Following the announcement of Borderlands 4’s September 12 release date with no information about the game’s pre-order, fans have begun to speculate about its price. Pitchford revealed that the action-packed game would be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, many expected an $80 price tag, similar to other popular titles for the console, like Mario Kart World, which is also priced at $80.

X Response

Under Pitchford’s X thread on the Switch 2 reveal, a user commented the question that’s been on all potential buyers’ mind, “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 with the price when it comes to your publisher, to which he responded, “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.”

Pitchford’s sharp response did not sit well with some fans, one user added, “The kind of answer that converts fans into disgusted and disappointed for your whole studio,” another stated, “Randy, maybe you don’t know but folks are having trouble BEEN having trouble affording GROCERIES. Don’t be the bad guy here. Fans like myself will go without to play this game because of the effect it has on us living in this current hell. This is your ‘let them eat cake’ moment.”

While there are several negative comments following Pitchford’s initial response, others are defending the CEO, “If you were going to wait for a sale from $70.00, you will also wait for a sale of $80.00. So, instead of complaining and threatening not to buy a game you were never going to buy at launch, just wait for a sale. That’s what you were going to do anyway.”