Summary
Just as we were still getting used to video games costing $70, studios have started to break it to us that their next games will, or might, cost $80.Borderlands 4 currently falls into the might category, and even though it isn’t confirmed to cost $80, Randy Pitchford isn’t being very sympathetic to those who won’t be able to afford it if it does.
Replying to a tweet from the Gearbox boss in whichPitchford was celebrating Borderlands 4 coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, a fan warned the CEO of the dangers of pricing the next game in the series at $80. They noted that a lot of people won’t be willing to pay $80 forBorderlands 4, which is probably true, but Pitchofrd claims he’s not the one who gets to make the call.
“Not my call,” Pitchford tweeted in response, and he really should have just left it at that. Even though he’s in charge at Gearbox, it’s probably true, too. Parent companyTake-Two Interactiveandself-professed non-gamer Strauss Zelnickwill be the ones who dictate how much Borderlands 4 will cost.
Real Borderlands 4 Fans Will Find A Way
If You Can’t, You’re Not A Real Fan, I Guess
Pitchford couldn’t leave things at a three-word reply, though, and went on to tell Borderlands fans that they’re not real fans if they can’t find a way to pay $80 for the next game in the series. “If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen,” Pitchford added, telling a story about how he bought a copy of Starflight for the Sega Genesis in 1991 for $80, working an ice cream parlor job after he left high school.
Pitchford has failed to account for a few things when tweeting this reply. For starters, I’m assuming the ‘91 version of him was living at home and, therefore, didn’t have rent or a mortgage to pay. My guess is that pretty much everything he earned could go directly into his video game fund. That won’t be the case for the bulk of people who want to play Borderlands 4 at launch later this year.
The price of the platform on which you’ll need to play Borderlands 4 will also have a big role to play. The Genesis was $189 at launch in 1989. That’s almost $200 cheaper than the cheapest platform you will be able to play Borderlands 4 on, anXbox Series S, followingXbox’s recent price hikes. Price hikes that aren’t done yet as the platform’s shift to $80 games is still to come.
As expected, studios will take the wrong lessons fromNintendo breaking the $80 barrier for Mario Kart World. There are only a handful of games that can get away with charging that much. First-partyNintendogames,GTA, andCall of Duty. Anything else will be a serious roll of the dice, and I’m not sure Borderlands 4 should take that gamble.
