By Jordan Gerblick

Copyright gamesradar

Skip to main content

GamesRadar+
The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love

View Profile

Search GamesRadar+

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Games Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Game Insights

Games Features

Games Reviews

Games Guides

The Big Preview

On The Radar

Future Games Show

Action Games

Action RPGs

Adventure Games

Third Person Shooters

View Platforms

Xbox Series X

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch 2

Tabletop Gaming

Franchises

Grand Theft Auto

Assassin’s Creed

Monster Hunter

The Elder Scrolls

Entertainment

View Entertainment

View TV Shows

Anime Shows

Sci-Fi Shows

Superhero Shows

Animated Shows

Marvel TV Shows

Star Wars TV Shows

DC TV Shows

View Movies

Movie Reviews

Superhero Movies

Action Movies

Sci-Fi Movies

Anime Movies

Horror Movies

Marvel Movies

View Streaming

Apple TV Plus

Disney Plus

Amazon Prime Video

View Comics

Marvel Comics

Toys & Merch

Toys & Collectibles

Dungeons and Dragons

View Hardware

Hardware News

Hardware Reviews

Hardware Features

Desktop PCs

Peripherals

View Peripherals

Headsets & Headphones

TVs & Monitors

Gaming Mice

Gaming Keyboards

Gaming Chairs

Speakers & Audio

Accessories & Tech

Gaming Controllers

SSDs & Hard Drives

Accessories

Buying Guides

Newsletters

Retro Gamer

Gaming Magazines

Why subscribe?

Subscribe from just £3
Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
Try a single issue or save on a subscription
Issues delivered straight to your door or device

From£9.99Subscribe now

Dying Light: The Beast
Borderlands 4 review
Battlefield 6
New Games for 2025

Don’t miss these

Borderlands
Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director feels “bad” for Borderlands 4 devs “who are just trying really hard to make players happy” as Randy Pitchford fights back against performance criticism

Borderlands
Borderlands 4 boss tells players “please get a refund from Steam if you aren’t happy” as Randy Pitchford continues his very public crashout over the FPS’s performance woes

Borderlands
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says Borderlands 4 performance isn’t bad, your expectations are just too high: “If you’re not 4k stubborn and just want to have a great, fun time with higher perf, please consider running at 1440p resolution”

Borderlands
Randy Pitchford and his “big personality” may have caused Gearbox some controversy with all that $80 Borderlands 4 banter, but his boss wouldn’t have it any other way: “I still love him to death”

Borderlands
“We tend to commit to the bit”: Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse

Borderlands
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says “I think they could charge $200” for Borderlands 4, “you can’t find a better value in the world for any type of entertainment,” then adds: “I wish they’d give it away, because then everyone would play it”

Action Movies
Disastrous Borderlands movie gets the faintest of praise from Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford, who says it’s a “miracle” the film even exists, which makes it “amazing” in his eyes

Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford says Stop Killing Games “comes from the same heart that I have” and is “a metaphor, I think, for life” in the face of the inevitable heat death of the universe

Borderlands
Borderlands 4’s $70 price is “extremely unlikely” to have been influenced by backlash to Randy Pitchford’s “real fan” comment, Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director says, even if he thought it was “gross”

Borderlands
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford claims “less than one percent of one percent” of Borderlands 4 PC players reported “valid performance issues” via customer support, says “I have personally helped users go from 30FPS to 90FPS+”

Borderlands
$112 million Borderlands movie was a critical and commercial disaster, but Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford just wants you to know “it would have been way worse if I directed it”

New Borderlands 4 trailer is a funny critique of capitalism, and Randy Pitchford says if we “share and retweet” we could get more: “Those numbers directly impact the decisions made in the suit meetings and conference rooms”

Borderlands
Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford says Borderlands “ushered in a whole new genre” of looter shooters, and imitators get it wrong when they “twist it too far,” unlike Gearbox: “We tend to commit to the bit”

Borderlands
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is “a little nervous” about Borderlands 4 because it can be harder than previous games and not everyone wants a big challenge

Borderlands
Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford admits Borderlands has gone “too far” in the past, but promises Borderlands 4 has hit the sweet spot

Action RPGs

Borderlands

Borderlands 4

Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford says “we just don’t worry about the hate” online because “that’s actually a different form of love” and “if someone’s commenting, they’re invested, man”

Jordan Gerblick

16 September 2025

“Not every game I’ve ever made worked”

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: 2K)

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford uses hate for fuel.

Pitchford is no stranger to negativity online, in part due to his own infamously unfiltered internet presence, but his perspective on the matter is relatively unique: Just like The Beatles, you just gotta let it be, and tell yourself, “I feel fine,” because all you need is love.
Talking to GamesRadar+, Pitchford admits not everything he’s made has been a huge hit with his fans. It’s important to note, though, that this interview was conducted during Gamescom 2025, before Borderlands 4 launched, so his comments have nothing to do with, uh, more recent controversial statements he’s made on social media.

You may like

Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director feels “bad” for Borderlands 4 devs “who are just trying really hard to make players happy” as Randy Pitchford fights back against performance criticism

Borderlands 4 boss tells players “please get a refund from Steam if you aren’t happy” as Randy Pitchford continues his very public crashout over the FPS’s performance woes

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says Borderlands 4 performance isn’t bad, your expectations are just too high: “If you’re not 4k stubborn and just want to have a great, fun time with higher perf, please consider running at 1440p resolution”

In this case, Pitchford responds to a question about potential backlash to Borderlands 4’s pricing, which ended up being a more acceptable $70 than the $80 many feared. Regardless, he goes on a brief tangent where he seemingly compares his self-admitted inconsistent body of work to The Beatles, as one does. To be fair, he also compares it to a six-year-old’s fridge drawings.

“Everybody that’s ever done anything goes into it like, ‘I want to do the best job I can and try hard,’ whether you’re drawing a picture with crayons at six years old that’s going to go on the refrigerator, to being The Beatles and writing ‘Let It Be,’ you know.
And the truth is, I freaking love The Beatles,” Pitchford says. “But also, there’s some songs they’ve made that in my opinion – and this is just totally subjective – some of the stuff is unlistenable. So what do I want them to do because they made an unlistenable song? To me. ‘Never make music again?’ No, make more, because you might make another ‘Let It Be.'”
Whether or not Borderlands 4 is Gearbox’s “Let It Be,” Pitchford says he doesn’t let negative feedback get in the way of his creativity, arguing rightfully that hate is a form of passion, and that, generally, if someone is hating, they care to some degree.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
“And so I just think we don’t worry about the hate,” he says. “That’s actually a different form of love. If someone’s commenting, they’re invested, man, they care. They’ve spent their time, because it takes time to post. It takes time to stop our day and get involved in something. So I use that as fuel. Let’s make more. And all of us should do that.”
There’s no telling how Pitchford’s comments might differ with the post-launch perspective of Borderlands 4 sitting a very respectable 84 on Metacritic, although it seems that no matter how well his games are received, he just can’t help responding to criticism. Maybe he should take his own advice and just, let it be.
Borderlands 4 boss tells players “please get a refund from Steam if you aren’t happy” as Randy Pitchford continues his very public crashout over the FPS’s performance woes

See more PS5 News

Gearbox Software

Xbox Series X

PlayStation

Jordan Gerblick

Social Links Navigation

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar’s west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director feels “bad” for Borderlands 4 devs “who are just trying really hard to make players happy” as Randy Pitchford fights back against performance criticism

Borderlands 4 boss tells players “please get a refund from Steam if you aren’t happy” as Randy Pitchford continues his very public crashout over the FPS’s performance woes

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says Borderlands 4 performance isn’t bad, your expectations are just too high: “If you’re not 4k stubborn and just want to have a great, fun time with higher perf, please consider running at 1440p resolution”

Randy Pitchford and his “big personality” may have caused Gearbox some controversy with all that $80 Borderlands 4 banter, but his boss wouldn’t have it any other way: “I still love him to death”

“We tend to commit to the bit”: Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford talks Borderlands 4, the evolution of looter-shooters, and $80 game discourse

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says “I think they could charge $200” for Borderlands 4, “you can’t find a better value in the world for any type of entertainment,” then adds: “I wish they’d give it away, because then everyone would play it”

Latest in Borderlands

Best Borderlands 4 Amon build to become a freezing Forgeknight

PSA: Borderlands 4 has a progress-erasing bug with players reporting lost skill points upon crashes and multiplayer disconnections, but Gearbox is looking into it

All Borderlands 4 bank locations so you can offload your guns

Borderlands 4 does what Destiny couldn’t: I’m finally back on the looter shooter train, and it feels like reliving my 60 hours in Borderlands 2

Baldur’s Gate 3 publishing director feels “bad” for Borderlands 4 devs “who are just trying really hard to make players happy” as Randy Pitchford fights back against performance criticism

All Borderlands 4 elemental damage types and status effects explained

Latest in News

Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford says “we just don’t worry about the hate” online because “that’s actually a different form of love” and “if someone’s commenting, they’re invested, man”

Battlefield 6 nearly broke the Xbox Series S, which devs say had “less memory than even our mid-spec PC”: “A lot of our levels were crashing on Xbox Series S”

After 4 quiet years, Ubisoft keeps some hope alive for its Splinter Cell revival as it asks for some parts of the Netflix show to be cut because of “other plans” for the dormant stealth series

Morrowind lead explains origin behind the third Elder Scrolls RPG’s journal and how his initial concepts could’ve “been the foundation of something cool” – but “never got made and shouldn’t have been made”

Fede Alvarez says he never planned to direct Alien: Romulus 2, but he was adamant about writing it: “We want to make sure no one kills them right at the beginning”

Arrowhead has fixed the Helldivers 2 bug that had Rupture Warriors destroying host players – now they destroy everyone instead: “You’ve got to be joking right?”

GAME REVIEWS
MOVIE REVIEWS

Lego Voyagers review: “A carefully crafted, playful, and earnest adventure”

There’s now a real version of the Witcher Gwent card game, and it’s just as engrossing as the original

Borderlands 4 review: “Undeniably an excellent looter shooter, but one that requires a bit of tunnel vision to fully enjoy”

This enormous exploration board game won’t be for everyone, but it’s a masterclass in narrative and sandbox gameplay

Hollow Knight Silksong review: “Worth the wait and then some, this isn’t just more Hollow Knight but an evolved, spindly beast all its own – even if it’s fiddly at times”

The Conjuring: Last Rites review: “Not bold or memorable enough for the Warrens’ final chapter”

Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle review: “Roars past Mugen Train as Demon Slayer’s best adventure yet”

The Long Walk review: “One of the best Stephen King adaptations ever made”

Frankenstein review: “A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation”

Weapons review: “A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian”

Gen V season 2 review: “As strong as the first season, if not stronger”

Wednesday season 2 part 2 review: “Ortega shines, but it’s a zombie who steals the entire show”

Peacemaker season 2 review: “Darker and sadder than the first year, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids.”

Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: “Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots”

Alien: Earth review: “Arguably the franchise’s strongest outing since James Cameron’s Aliens”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Contact Future’s experts

Terms and conditions

Privacy policy

Cookies policy

Advertise with us

Review guidelines

Write for us

Accessibility Statement

Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury,

BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait…