Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has stated that Borderlands 4 didn't make quite the splash the company had hoped it would at launch. While the game received plenty of positive reviews, it also faced a good deal of controversy both leading up to and immediately following its release. It now seems those issues were enough to hold Borderlands 4 back from what its publisher expected.
While there were concerns around the game's price and EULA before its release, which Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford may have exacerbated through some incendiary responses on social media, the newest entry in the Borderlands series received a largely warm reception at launch. Many felt that Borderlands 4 improved upon Borderlands 3 in several necessary ways, and the game was met with positive reviews from critics. Still, not all players were equally enthused about the title.
Borderlands 4's Review-Bombing Explained
Despite positive reviews from critics and fans, Borderlands 4 is getting review-bombed on Steam due to its hefty required specs and technical issues.
Take-Two CEO Says Borderlands 4 Sales Numbers 'Were a Little Softer Than We Would Have Liked'
In an interview with The Game Business, Zelnick said that while Take-Two was happy with Borderlands 4's release, it didn't sell as much as the publisher expected. This has been a surprise to many, considering Borderlands 4 sold over 2.5 million copies in less than two weeks. However, those numbers, while impressive from an outside perspective, appear less exciting in the context of the franchise as a whole. Borderlands 3 sold over 5 million in its first five days. Previous entries may not have sold quite as quickly, but the series had not yet reached as wide an audience, while Borderlands 4 had the advantage of a larger gaming market and the increased publicity of a modern AAA game.
Unsurprisingly, Zelnick chalked the disappointing sales figures up to the game's struggles on PC. Almost immediately upon release, Borderlands 4 PC players encountered major performance issues, even among those whose systems met the title's high recommended specs. Harsh responses and Twitter rants from Randy Pitchford over the controversy likely added fuel to that fire, which may have stopped some PC players from buying the game and led others to refund it. Still, Zelnick is hopeful Gearbox can turn things around with ongoing patches and optimizations, saying "in the fullness of time, we think it’s going to do great."
Take-Two may also see its sales figures get closer to what it wants when the game expands its potential player base. Gearbox has delayed Borderlands 4's Switch 2 edition indefinitely, leaving it without a platform its early sales could've otherwise benefited from. When that version comes out, it could push the game's long-term sales performance to be more in line with previous expectations, but when that will happen and how much it will change things remains uncertain.
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
WHERE TO PLAY
Source: The Game Business