Randy Pitchford: Borderlands 4's Early Release Not Influenced by Other Games

Randy Pitchford, the development chief at Gearbox, has firmly stated that the decision to move up the release date of the highly anticipated co-op FPS, Borderlands 4, from September 23 to September 12 was not influenced by the release schedules of other games. This shift has sparked speculation, particularly around the release dates of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) and Bungie's Marathon, both of which are significant titles in the gaming industry.

Borderlands 4 is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The new release date announcement came just ahead of a PlayStation State of Play broadcast dedicated to Borderlands 4, scheduled for April 30.

Speculation arose due to GTA 6's anticipated fall 2025 release and Marathon's planned launch on the same original date as Borderlands 4, September 23, 2025. Marathon, developed by Bungie and owned by Sony, is a crucial title for the company, adding to the competitive landscape.

However, Pitchford took to social media to clarify the reasoning behind the early release, emphasizing that it was due to "confidence" in the game's development and progress. "Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100% the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates," he tweeted, dismissing any influence from other games' release dates.

The decision to move a game's release date forward is unusual, as delays are more common. Chris Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, expressed skepticism about the move, noting the logistical and marketing implications of changing a well-publicized release date without a clear commercial rationale.

In a video message, Pitchford expressed excitement about the early release, highlighting the positive development trajectory and the team's performance. "Everything is going great, actually. In fact, everything is going kind of the best-case scenario. The game is awesome, the team is cooking, and so the launch date for Borderlands 4 is changing. We’re moving it forward. The launch date is now September 12," he said.

It's important to note that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games and both Gearbox and the Borderlands IP are owned by Take-Two, which is also the parent company of GTA developer Rockstar. This corporate connection has led to speculation about strategic release planning to avoid market cannibalization, a concern addressed by Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in an earlier interview with IGN. Zelnick emphasized that Take-Two aims to space out its releases to respect consumers' time and engagement with their games.

Amidst this, there's ongoing speculation about potential delays for GTA 6, which could shift into early winter or even the first quarter of 2026. Zelnick, while optimistic, acknowledged the inherent risks in game development timelines.

Overall, while the early release of Borderlands 4 has stirred discussions about competitive release strategies, Pitchford insists the decision was purely based on the game's readiness and development progress.