Randy Pitchford Clarifies What He Meant Over His $80 Real Fan Comment

Gearbox Software is gearing towards the upcoming launch of Borderlands 4. The video game recently made some news when the studio was able to confirm that they were able to push the game ahead of its intended launch. While the game franchise has a strong fan base, one of the founders of Gearbox Software might have slipped up and disgruntled quite a few of its fans. Randy Pitchford is now releasing another statement to clarify what he meant to say over his $80 real fan comment.

I’m sure you’ve seen the news recently regarding the CEO’s comments. Randy Pitchford responded to a fan who noted that Borderlands 4 should not be priced at $80. Randy’s response was first to let players know that the pricing was not his decision. However, beyond that, he noted if you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. That was a touchy statement that led to a backlash.

$80 is a significant amount of money, and for years, players were typically accustomed to seeing $60 for new AAA games. However, that changed not long ago, with this generation seeking $70 for a new AAA release. But to make things even more surprising, Nintendo was the first to come out and state that some of their upcoming games would start to cost $80. Now, there is considerable concern about what games will demand the $80 price of entry when they launch into the marketplace.

Randy’s comments about being a real fan by coming up with $80 to purchase a game wasn’t the right move here. However, the Gearbox Software CEO has now released a new statement apologizing for his statement and wishes to clarify what he meant.

The statement is rather lengthy, and you can read it through its entirety here. But overall, the focus was that the $80 price tag wouldn’t be his decision, and he wasn’t trying to gatekeep or insult anyone. Instead, he took it that fans were concerned that people wouldn’t purchase the game for that price point, leaving it to be a hit for the company. Instead, it appears that Randy meant there will still be fans who see the value and purchase the game.

That said, Randy Pitchford noted that as a creator, he doesn’t want to see prices rise. However, he does understand that it’s sometimes necessary in the industry. Again, we’re just starting to see some of these games hit that $80 price tag, so we’ll have to wait and see just how well they actually end up doing at launch. It could mean that more players will hold out on deciding which games to purchase at launch and which ones will be shelved until they drop in price.

We recently covered a video on video game prices and our takes on the current industry trend. You can view our take on the matter down below. Meanwhile, for fans interested in picking up Borderlands 4, the game is still set to release on September 12. When it does launch, you can expect it on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 platforms.