Summary
- Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford urges fans to trust and support the developers of Borderlands 4.
- Some fans in the community have been outspokenly negative about the upcoming title, something Pitchford wants to combat.
- Borderlands 4 is scheduled to be released on September 23, 2025.
Outspoken Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford recently reacted to the negativity forming around Borderlands 4, urging fans and players alike to trust developers. Pitchford specifically took issue with what Midwest Games Audience Director Gothalion had to say about the criticism the upcoming game had seen. This all comes months ahead of the release of Borderlands 4, which is set to be one of 2025's bigger releases if all goes according to plan.
Known for its irreverent comedy, cartoon art style, and laundry list of wacky enemies to fight, the Borderlands series has hit somewhat of a low point. While the game received generally positive reviews, fans felt Borderlands 3 lacked the magic and spark found in previous releases. The Borderlands franchise also got its own live-action movie in 2024 starring Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart, which bombed both critically and commercially. This hasn't stopped excitement from forming around Borderlands 4, though, which will be the first mainline entry in the franchise since 2019. However, as anticipation and hype build, so does negativity and criticism, with Pitchford now throwing his hat into the ring.
Borderlands 4 Returning Legendary Wish List
The Borderlands series has had its fair share of powerful legendaries and plenty of them have a fair shot of returning in the upcoming Borderlands 4.
Pitchford recently responded to the negativity towards Borderlands 4 online, specifically to a comment made by Gothalion on Twitter, who claimed Pitchford muted a fan for raising concerns about Borderlands 4. Gothalion said these criticisms came from a place of love, but Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford disagreed. "I didn’t see any critique. I just saw negativity that was demotivating," said Pitchford. This is hardly the first instance of Pitchford going to bat for one of his games, with the CEO recently hyping up Borderlands 4's new skill tree system.
Randy Pitchford Responds to Borderlands 4 Criticism
"Want the best Borderlands?" Asked Pitchford. "Root for us and cheer us on. If you take developer's passion for granted, we'll all pay the price." Criticism is something Pitchford says he appreciates and claims there's never a short supply of it. As stated earlier, the Gearbox CEO is known for being rather outspoken and bold when it comes to discussing his projects and the video game industry as a whole. Last year, Pitchford criticized Steam for holding a "monopoly" on video games in the West, also calling out Epic Games for its handling of the company's own digital storefront.
Borderlands 4 releases on September 23, 2025, a year already destined to go down in the video game history books. Not only does 2025 mark the return of iconic franchises like Borderlands and Civilization, but the year will also see the launch of Nintendo's highly anticipated Switch 2 console. Of course, this year's biggest release will likely be Grand Theft Auto 6, a game also helmed by the Borderlands series' parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
Borderlands 4
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
