The new industry standard price for triple-A games has jumped once again, with each one of the big three gaming companies announcing price hikes and trying to pretend that this has absolutely nothing to do with Nintendo doing it first. One affected game will likely be Borderlands 4, which was announced shortly after the absolutely terrible movie in an attempt to either tie it in or save face. If developer Gearbox is concerned with salvaging the brand's reputation, though, they may want to look inward.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has taken to Twitter to defend the game's (as yet unconfirmed) $80 price tag, using the time-honored strategy of essentially calling his audience broke. Pitchford had this to say:
If you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen.
I'm not sure there's a worse way to drive off potential buyers short of calling them a slur. You'll buy the $80 base game, you'll buy the $100 deluxe edition, you'll buy the $50 season passes every year, and you'll like it — or you're not a true fan. Encouraging prospective customers to put the needs of your company ahead of their own day-to-day needs is about as scummy as it gets, and it's no surprise that the statement has been met with backlash.
No matter what price Borderlands 4 ends up dropping at, it's a lose-lose situation — either it's $80 and the outrage continues, or it's the more traditional $60 or $70 and Randy caused this massive PR $h!Tshow for no reason.
