Randy Pitchford: Borderlands 4 Release Date Unrelated to Other Products

Randy Pitchford, the development chief at Gearbox, has firmly stated that the decision to advance the release date of the cooperative first-person shooter Borderlands 4 was not influenced by the release schedules of other games. Originally slated for September 23, Borderlands 4 will now hit the shelves on September 12, available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

This 11-day shift has fueled speculation that it might be a strategic move to avoid competing with high-profile titles such as Grand Theft Auto 6 and Marathon. Grand Theft Auto 6, developed by Rockstar and published by Take-Two (the same parent company that owns Gearbox and the Borderlands IP), is expected to launch in the fall of 2025. Meanwhile, Marathon, a significant release for Bungie, was set to launch on the same day as the original Borderlands 4 release date.

However, Pitchford took to Twitter to clarify the reasoning behind the change, emphasizing that it was purely driven by 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 stated, dismissing any influence from other games' release dates.

The move to bring a game's release date forward is unusual in the industry, where delays are more common. Chris Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, expressed skepticism about the decision, suggesting there must be a strong commercial rationale behind it, especially given the established marketing and publicized release date.

In a video message, Pitchford shared the news with evident excitement, highlighting the positive development progress and the team's enthusiasm. "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 announced.

It's important to note that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two, which also owns Gearbox and the Borderlands franchise. Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has previously discussed the company's strategy to stagger release dates to avoid cannibalization and to give consumers ample time to enjoy each game. In an interview with IGN, Zelnick emphasized the importance of respecting consumers' time and their desire to fully engage with each title before moving on to the next.

Amidst these developments, there's ongoing speculation about the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, with potential delays being considered into early winter or even the first quarter of 2026. Zelnick acknowledged the risk of delays but expressed optimism about meeting the planned fall 2025 release.

Borderlands 4 will also feature in its own PlayStation State of Play broadcast on April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST, offering fans a closer look at what to expect from the eagerly anticipated game.