The story kicked off with a tweet from a dedicated fan of the Borderlands series, who voiced concerns about the upcoming installment. They pointed out that the new game bears a striking visual resemblance to Borderlands 3 and raised concerns about a possible cut in the marketing budget. The fan also referenced the poorly received Borderlands 2024 movie, which faced harsh criticism from both audiences and critics, including the notorious Uwe Boll. Instead of addressing the fan's concerns, Gearbox's CEO, Randy Pitchford, responded by saying he "doesn't want to see this negativity" and initially planned to block the user to avoid stress. He later changed his stance and opted to mute notifications from the account instead.
The situation intensified when a well-known streamer, Gothalion, encouraged the developer to be more receptive to criticism and respectful of the long-time fans' opinions. In response, Pitchford dismissed the comment as "toxic pessimism" and not constructive. He went on to stress that developers are working tirelessly, even "killing themselves to entertain players."
This response triggered a range of reactions within the community. Some fans rallied behind Pitchford, acknowledging the intense pressure developers endure. However, others viewed his remarks as an evasion of constructive dialogue and labeled his behavior as overly emotional. Many also recalled that this isn't the first instance of the Gearbox head making sharp comments on social media.
Borderlands 4 is set to launch on September 23, 2025, and will be available on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
