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

Gearbox development chief Randy Pitchford has firmly stated that the decision to release Borderlands 4 earlier than initially planned was not influenced by the release dates of other games, such as Marathon or Grand Theft Auto 6. The cooperative first-person shooter, originally slated for a September 23 release, will now launch on September 12 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

This 11-day shift prompted speculation that GTA 6's release date might be impacting the decision, especially since both games are under the umbrella of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of both Gearbox and GTA developer Rockstar. GTA 6 is still set to launch in the fall of 2025. Additionally, there was speculation about a potential conflict with Bungie's Marathon, another cooperative-focused extraction shooter set to release on the same day as Borderlands 4 was originally planned, September 23, 2025. Borderlands 4 is also set to feature in its own PlayStation State of Play broadcast on April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST.

However, Pitchford took to Twitter to clarify that the decision to move Borderlands 4's release forward was purely based on "confidence" and the game's "development trajectory." He emphasized that the move had "0% to do with any other product's actual or theoretical launch date."

While it's uncommon for games to move their release dates forward (delays are far more common), Chris Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, expressed skepticism about the reasons behind the shift. He pointed out that with Borderlands 4's original release date already publicized across various platforms, there must be a strong commercial rationale for the change.

In a video message, Pitchford shared the news of the earlier release, expressing excitement about the game's progress and the team's performance. He stated, "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."

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. The same company also owns Rockstar, the developer of GTA 6. At the executive level, decisions are made with an understanding of all games in development, aiming to optimize their success.

In a February interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick discussed the company's strategy to avoid cannibalization of their titles by carefully timing releases. He emphasized respecting consumers' need to fully engage with one hit before moving on to another. Zelnick expressed confidence in the timing of GTA 6's release but acknowledged the inherent risks of delays, stating, "Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things. So we feel really good about it."

Amidst this, there remains speculation that GTA 6 could face delays, potentially moving into early winter or the first quarter of 2026.