Casual comments in gaming seem to gain full momentum when they touch on the sore subject of game prices. The most recent player outrage has put Randy Pitchford of Gearbox Software in hot water due to his comments regarding the possible prices of Borderlands 4.
The whole thing started at PAX East. During one of the company's presentations, Pitchford says he was asked straight-out what the price for Borderlands 4 should be. He said something like, "I don't know." This began his lecture on game pricing: how complex game pricing is, why it is not just his decision, and what factors come into play while pricing. Acceptable, I guess?
The conversation would have ended naturally from there. However, subsequently on X (formerly Twitter), a player expressed concern that most gamers would not be willing to pay $80 for a game, adding to a trend of ever-increasing price tags. Definitely, Pitchford's response just intensified the issue: he shared a personal story regarding how there was this one game he wanted to buy, so he worked extra hours at this minimum-wage ice cream shop as a kid-a response many saw as being outdated and condescending.
I am sorry there was a misunderstanding. The absolute sincere truth is that I don’t want anyone to pay any more than they should or are comfortable with and I always work with the intent and hope that a customer always feels they got the better end of the deal no matter what they…
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) May 28, 2025
Pitchford did apologize after all. But the apology was for the "misunderstanding" of his comments, not for his comments themselves. He stated: "I am sorry there was a misunderstanding. The absolute sincere truth is that I don't want anyone to pay any more than they should or are comfortable with and I always work with the intent and hope that a customer always feels they got the better end of the deal no matter what they pay." He then said that he thought the term "real fans" might "trigger some people" and that he was not making a "big statement" or "taking the audience for granted."
From the sounds of the replies to his post, this "apology" was not a hit with the majority of the fans. The use of the term "misunderstanding" in the first place indicated a failure to take ownership of the comments, and there seems to be a feeling among gamers that any apology should have come first, followed by Pitchford's "honest opinion".
This whole spectacle touches on a much deeper fear for gamers: the escalating price of new releases. With $80 games like Mario Kart World potentially setting a new standard, players fear this will be the new norm. Just a while ago, toward the beginning of the current generation, $70 was barely considered new. To 80, especially with the rising cost of living around the globe, is a lot more to ask.
For reference, Borderlands 3 came out in 2019 for the then-standard $60. There is almost no way Borderlands 4 will be priced under $70. The big-ticket question now is whether it will ride this possible wave of $80 titles and how players will respond to it with their wallets.
