Borderlands 4 'Disaster' Sales Figures At Launch Suggest Franchise May Be On The Brink As Randy Pitchford’s Wild Rants Push Fans Away
The latest Borderlands entry is already facing claims of being one of Gearbox’s weakest launches yet, with fans pointing fingers at the outspoken CEO.
Summary
- Borderlands 4 launch sales reportedly hit just 2.5 million, less than half of Borderlands 3’s debut, raising questions about the franchise’s future.
- CEO Randy Pitchford allegedly fueled backlash with remarks telling gamers to ‘stop being poor’ and ‘code your own engine’ amid performance complaints.
- PC players slammed the game’s optimization issues, with Steam reviews turning ‘mostly negative’ despite strong concurrent player counts on release.
Borderlands 4 was supposed to be the BIG RETURN of Gearbox’s looter-shooter juggernaut, right?
But actually, you know, a better description would be “a messy cocktail of underwhelming sales, rough performance, and a CEO who allegedly couldn’t keep his mouth shut at the worst possible time.” There.
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Reports suggest the game sold around 2.5 million copies in its opening stretch, barely half of what Borderlands 3 managed in a similar timeframe.
That number alone has fueled speculation about whether the series has finally shot itself in the foot.
And then there’s Randy Pitchford, whose comments online and in interviews are being blamed by some fans for pouring gasoline on the fire.
Sales Numbers Look Grim
According to industry chatter, Borderlands 4’s launch sales were significantly weaker than its predecessor.
Borderlands 3 reportedly sold five million units in its first five days, while Borderlands 4 is believed to have landed closer to half that.
Data shared by Alinea Analytics even broke things down further, suggesting roughly half of Borderlands 4’s copies moved through Steam, where the game did at least manage strong concurrent player counts.
But for a franchise that once flirted with triple-A dominance, those figures have been described as soft.
Some analysts argue the $70–$80 launch price scared people off. Others say years of buggy releases across the industry have trained gamers to wait for sales.
Borderlands 4 might be a victim of both.
Pitchford’s Comments Backfire
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford didn’t help matters. Months before release, he was quoted saying “real fans will find a way to spend $80 on this game.” Given global economic conditions, that remark was widely described as tone-deaf.
When the game actually launched and performance issues became obvious, Pitchford reportedly told critics to “stop being poor” and buy better hardware.
He also went on social media rants suggesting complainers should “code your own engine” if they thought they could do better.
This kind of talk may play well in some corners of the internet, but coming from the head of a major studio, it struck many as unprofessional.
Some gamers say that it reinforced the perception that Gearbox leadership had grown arrogant and out of touch.
Technical Problems Everywhere
Borderlands 4 didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for PC players. The launch was met with “mostly negative” reviews on Steam, largely centered on performance complaints.
Players described optimization issues, input lag, and stuttering, especially during big firefights. Even high-end systems weren’t immune.
One reviewer claimed to be running a top-tier Ryzen 9950X3D rig with 96GB of RAM and an RTX 5080 GPU, yet still experienced hiccups.
Some blamed Unreal Engine 5, though Epic Games has insisted the engine isn’t the culprit. Fans don’t care who’s technically right; they just know the game didn’t feel polished.
Borderlands 4’s reputation was bruised early, and while later patches have apparently improved things, the damage to first impressions lingers.
Bad Timing With the Movie
The franchise also got tangled in Hollywood timing. The Borderlands movie, released about a year before the game, was expected to draw in new fans.
But instead, it reportedly convinced some casual audiences that the brand wasn’t worth investing in.
As one critic put it:
“If I hadn’t already known what Borderlands was, I’d never touch one of these games after seeing that movie.”
That cinematic misstep, combined with the rocky launch, made it harder for Borderlands 4 to build hype outside the core fanbase.
Story Direction
Borderlands has always been known for quirky humor and irreverent writing. But the series’ storytelling choices have been increasingly divisive.
Borderlands 3 already faced criticism for its “annoying” streamer villains and writing some players called “cringe.”
Borderlands 4, according to early reactions, didn’t do much to win back those disillusioned fans.
Some voices in the community even dragged politics into the conversation, claiming the franchise leaned too heavily into “woke” writing.
Others pushed back, saying the real issue was simply weak storytelling and flat characters.
Whatever the case, it’s clear the narrative hasn’t captured audiences the way Borderlands 2 once did.
Industry Misfires
Gamers have grown weary of broken launches, from Cyberpunk 2077 to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
The expectation is that things won’t work properly at launch, and that’s a depressing new normal.
Some observers argue the industry keeps repeating the same mistake, chasing release dates over quality.
The result? Expensive, heavily marketed products that stumble out the gate and require months of patches to become playable.
Borderlands 4 has now joined that club, which isn’t great for a series that once symbolized fun, over-the-top chaos rather than corporate bungling.
The Money Problem
Another big factor is price sensitivity. With most major games now hitting $70 or more, and Borderlands 4’s “deluxe” pricing creeping into the $80 range, fewer players are willing to gamble at launch.
Plenty of voices online recommend waiting three or four months for the inevitable discount.
Why spend full price on something buggy when you know it’ll be patched and half off by the holidays?
This slow-burn consumer behavior could become the new reality for mid-tier triple-A franchises like Borderlands.
Unless you’re Elden Ring or Grand Theft Auto VI, fans aren’t rushing to hand over their wallets on day one anymore.
Will Gearbox Learn?
The obvious question is whether Gearbox can recover from this stumble.
Borderlands 4 isn’t a total disaster, far from it, and some players insist the combat is still fun, the level design solid, and the co-op mayhem intact.
But the surrounding noise has drowned out those positives.
If the studio wants to regain goodwill, it needs to prioritize three things:
- Polish at launch. Stop shipping unfinished products.
- Stronger writing. Get back to the quirky, memorable tone that defined Borderlands 2.
- Better leadership optics. Keep Randy Pitchford off Twitter (or at least on a leash).
Now, can Gearbox execute on these points? I don’t know.
Some even speculate the franchise’s future could be in jeopardy if sales don’t rebound in the long run.
My 2 cents
Borderlands 4 was hyped as the next big step in the series, but instead it’s becoming a little lesson in how not to launch a blockbuster.
From arrogant CEO remarks to undeniable technical problems, it’s a storm of issues that no amount of cel-shaded gunplay can distract from.
Fans will keep arguing about whether the writing killed the vibe or whether the bugs were the final straw.
But hey, numbers don’t lie, Borderlands 4 sold way slower than expected, and the fallout may reshape how Gearbox approaches its next big project, if there is one.
Retail leaks show just a few preorders across nearly 50 stores, a humiliating stat that makes even BioWare’s infamous flop 'Dragon Age: The Veilguard' look like a blockbuster.
