Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick just did something you don’t often see from gaming executives. He admitted that Borderlands 4 didn’t sell as well as the company hoped, and he pointed directly at the game’s technical problems on PC as the reason. In an interview with The Game Business on November 7, Zelnick acknowledged the launch didn’t go smoothly, saying the numbers were a little softer than they would have liked.
This admission is particularly interesting because Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford spent weeks insisting the PC version was running great and only had a few minor issues affecting a tiny percentage of players. The reality painted by Steam reviews and player reports told a very different story.
What Went Wrong at Launch
Borderlands 4 launched on September 12, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S. Critics loved it, with IGN giving it an 8/10 and praise coming from multiple outlets. But as soon as players got their hands on it, problems emerged across all platforms.
PC players with high-end hardware reported terrible performance. Even after lowering graphics settings across the board, many struggled to hit acceptable framerates. Gearbox’s official advice was to push through the performance issues for about 15 minutes after changing any graphics settings, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Console players faced different but equally frustrating problems. Both PS5 and Xbox Series versions experienced performance degradation during longer play sessions, meaning the game would run progressively worse the longer you played. To make matters worse, the game launched without field of view sliders on consoles, a basic feature that modern shooters are expected to have.
The Steam Review Disaster
The backlash hit hardest on Steam, where Borderlands 4 quickly earned a Mixed rating. Players flooded the review section with complaints about crashes, stuttering, and unplayable framerates. The game currently sits at a 4.5 out of 10 user score on Metacritic, and the Steam reviews remain Mixed even after multiple patches.
When Steam player counts reached record numbers at launch, those players were met with technical hiccups that killed months of hype almost instantly. This wasn’t just a small vocal minority. The problems were widespread and well-documented.
Randy Pitchford’s Response Made Things Worse
As complaints mounted, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford took to social media with a response that backfired spectacularly. He claimed the PC release was pretty darn optimal and only had a few real issues affecting a very small percentage of users. He even said Borderlands 4 is a premium game for premium gamers, which came across as dismissive of legitimate complaints.
This disconnect between what Pitchford was saying and what players were experiencing only amplified the frustration. When a CEO insists there are no problems while thousands of customers are reporting the same issues, it doesn’t build trust.
To Gearbox’s credit, they did eventually roll out updates addressing FOV sliders, PC performance problems, and console stability. But the damage to the game’s reputation was already done.
The Sales Numbers Tell the Story
Strauss Zelnick didn’t provide specific updated sales figures in his interview, but we do have some data points. By the end of September, Borderlands 4 had sold 2.5 million copies, with more than half of those sales coming from Steam. That sounds impressive until you compare it to Borderlands 3, which sold 5 million copies in its first five days back in 2019.
That’s less than half the units sold compared to the previous mainline entry. The situation is complicated by the fact that Borderlands 4 generated the highest launch month dollar sales in franchise history, nearly 30 percent higher than Borderlands 3 according to market research firm Circana. This means the game made more money despite selling fewer units, likely due to the higher $70 price point compared to Borderlands 3’s $60 launch price.
So while Borderlands 4 set revenue records, it moved fewer copies. For a company focused on unit sales and long-term engagement, that’s a problem.
Other Factors Beyond Technical Issues
The performance problems weren’t the only controversy. Take-Two’s updated terms of service agreement at launch upset many players. Combined with the $70 price tag in an era where gamers are increasingly price-sensitive, and you have a perfect storm of factors working against the game’s sales potential.
What Happens Next
Despite the disappointing launch numbers, Strauss Zelnick expressed confidence that Borderlands 4 will perform well over time. In the fullness of time, we think it’s going to do great, he told The Game Business. That suggests Take-Two is banking on long-term sales as Gearbox continues fixing issues and word of mouth improves.
The looter-shooter genre tends to have legs, especially when post-launch support is strong. Games like Destiny 2 and The Division 2 both recovered from rocky launches to build substantial player bases. If Gearbox can deliver consistent content updates and continue improving performance, Borderlands 4 might still turn things around.
However, the game has already faced one major setback. Gearbox indefinitely delayed the Switch 2 version, saying it needs additional development and polish time to deliver the best possible experience. That’s a bad sign for a game that’s supposed to be running well on more powerful hardware.
Lessons for the Industry
The Borderlands 4 situation highlights a recurring problem in the gaming industry. Publishers push for simultaneous multi-platform launches to maximize revenue, but developers often struggle to optimize for every platform, especially PC with its infinite hardware configurations. When that happens, you get situations like this where a critically acclaimed game underperforms because the technical execution doesn’t match the quality of the content.
It also demonstrates the importance of transparent communication. When executives downplay legitimate problems, it alienates the very customers you’re trying to win over. Acknowledging issues and providing realistic timelines for fixes builds goodwill. Telling people their expensive computers aren’t premium enough does the opposite.
FAQs
Did Borderlands 4 sell well?
Borderlands 4 generated the highest launch month revenue in franchise history but sold approximately 2.5 million units, which is less than half of what Borderlands 3 sold in its first five days. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick admitted the unit sales were softer than expected.
What were the main problems with Borderlands 4 at launch?
PC players experienced severe performance issues including crashes, stuttering, and low framerates even on high-end hardware. Console versions suffered from performance degradation during long play sessions and launched without FOV sliders. Digital Foundry identified big performance issues across all platforms.
Has Gearbox fixed the performance issues?
Gearbox has released several updates addressing FOV sliders, PC performance problems, and console stability issues. While improvements have been made, the game still carries a Mixed rating on Steam, indicating many players remain unsatisfied with the technical state.
Why did Borderlands 4 sell fewer copies than Borderlands 3?
Take-Two’s CEO specifically blamed the poor PC performance and Steam launch issues for the lower than expected sales. The $70 price point compared to Borderlands 3’s $60 launch price and Take-Two’s controversial terms of service agreement also likely contributed to lower unit sales.
How did Borderlands 4 make more money if it sold fewer copies?
The game launched at $70 instead of $60, which is a 16 percent price increase. This higher price per unit allowed the game to generate more total revenue despite moving fewer copies than Borderlands 3.
What did Randy Pitchford say about the performance issues?
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford initially claimed the PC version was pretty darn optimal and only had a few real issues affecting a very small percentage of users. He also said Borderlands 4 is a premium game for premium gamers, statements that were widely criticized as dismissive of legitimate player complaints.
Is Borderlands 4 still coming to Switch 2?
The Switch 2 version has been indefinitely delayed. Gearbox stated the port needs additional development and polish time to deliver the best possible experience, suggesting the performance issues affecting other platforms made a Switch 2 launch unfeasible.
Conclusion
The Borderlands 4 launch is a textbook case of how technical problems can undermine an otherwise solid game. The content and gameplay earned critical praise, but poor optimization and dismissive communication damaged the game’s commercial performance and reputation. Take-Two’s admission that sales were softer than expected due to PC issues is refreshingly honest, and suggests the company understands what went wrong. Whether Borderlands 4 can recover and achieve the long-term success Strauss Zelnick predicts depends on Gearbox’s ability to maintain player trust through consistent improvements and meaningful post-launch support. For now, it stands as a cautionary tale about the importance of technical execution in modern game launches.