Randy Pitchford: Borderlands 4 Release Date Not Influenced by Other Products

Randy Pitchford, the development chief at Gearbox, has firmly stated that the decision to advance the release date of Borderlands 4 from September 23 to September 12 was solely based on the game's development progress and not influenced by the release schedules of other games, such as Marathon or Grand Theft Auto 6. Borderlands 4 will now launch on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Speculation arose that the date shift was a strategic move by Take-Two, the parent company of both Gearbox and GTA developer Rockstar, to avoid a direct competition with GTA 6, which is slated for a fall 2025 release. Additionally, there was talk about avoiding a clash with Bungie's Marathon, another co-op focused shooter set for the same original release date of September 23, 2025. Marathon is a significant title for Bungie, now owned by Sony.

However, Pitchford took to Twitter to dismiss these speculations, emphasizing that the early release was a result of confidence in the game and its development trajectory. He stated, "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. Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

This move to bring forward a release date is unusual, as delays are more common in the gaming industry. Chris Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, found the decision "a bit odd" if it truly wasn't influenced by other games' release dates, especially considering the marketing materials and calendars had already been set for the original date.

In a video message, Pitchford expressed excitement about the early release, describing the development progress as "the best-case scenario" and confirming the new launch date of September 12. He highlighted the exceptional work of the development team and the quality of the game.

It's important to note that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, which, along with Gearbox and the Borderlands IP, is owned by Take-Two. This same company is the parent of Rockstar, the developer behind GTA. At the executive level, CEO Strauss Zelnick oversees all these projects and aims to ensure each game has the best chance of success without cannibalizing each other's sales. In a February interview with IGN, Zelnick discussed Take-Two's strategy to space out their releases to respect consumers' time and interest in playing multiple hit games.

Amidst the speculation, there's also the possibility of GTA 6 facing delays into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. Zelnick, when questioned about the confidence in hitting the fall 2025 release for GTA 6, responded cautiously, acknowledging the risk of slippage but expressing optimism about the current progress.

Borderlands 4 will be featured in a PlayStation State of Play broadcast on April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST, providing further details and insights into the game.