The question about game pricing continues to be something that divides gamers. For many, they think that companies like Nintendo, Xbox, Sony, and others raising the price of games to $80 and beyond is “too much,” and that games “shouldn’t be that high in the first place. Others are trying to be both open-minded and understanding of developers who are trying to make large games while also recouping costs. Then, there are people like Randy Pitchford, whose company, Gearbox Software, is prepping to release Borderlands 4. The game is highly anticipated, but it doesn’t have a price point just yet.
In a post on Twitter last week, though, Pitchford made a bold statement when a fan begged him not to put Borderlands 4 in the $80 price range that certain titles are going to. His response was thus:
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.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 14, 2025
Clearly, the controversy is over the statement of being called a “real fan.” It’s not about fandom, it’s about finances. There are plenty of “fans” who don’t want to pay money for things they either can’t afford or wish to save so that they can get something arguably more important down the road.
If he had said something like, “Just get it when you can down the road,” that would’ve been much better. Instead, this comes off as a privilege kind of thing, where you’re “not the level of a real fan” if you don’t buy it regardless of price. That kind of thinking is dangerous, especially in today’s world.
Regardless, Borderlands 4 will arrive on consoles and PC this September.
