Borderlands 4 Price Revealed: Randy Pitchford’s Statement Sparks Debate on AAA Game Pricing

For over a decade, the standard retail price for new AAA video games has hovered around $59.99, a figure familiar to gamers since the era of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Switch.

However, an industry-wide shift began in recent years, with publishers testing higher launch prices for blockbuster releases.

Notably, Nintendo led the trend in 2023 with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which debuted at an increased MSRP of $69.99 on the Nintendo Switch, a price point now increasingly perceived as premium by longtime fans. This ongoing debate around game pricing recently came to the forefront following a statement by Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

On June 16, 2025, Pitchford announced, “No price increase for Borderlands 4! Standard Edition launches not at $80, but at $69.99! They’re showing you, so please show them.

You can find links to pre-order Borderlands 4 PC and console versions on the store pages.” While intended as reassurance, Pitchford’s claim that $69.99 is not a price increase drew immediate criticism from the gaming community.

Many players noted that the previous installment, Borderlands 3, launched at the traditional $59.99 price, making the new Borderlands 4 MSRP a clear $10 increase.

Comments from fans such as, “This is a price increase—the last game was $60,” and “Literally a price increase of $10 mate.

What are you talking about?” quickly gained traction online, underscoring consumer resistance to shifting pricing standards. The move by Gearbox aligns with broader industry trends, as numerous publishers set $69.99 as the baseline for newly released AAA titles on platforms including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.

The adoption of this higher MSRP is often justified by publishers based on rising development costs, the complexity of producing cutting-edge games, and inflationary pressures.

Still, many in the gaming audience view $69.99 as a premium, not standard, rate—a sentiment reinforced by the continued debate in online forums and among industry analysts. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s 2023 release, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, exemplified the new pricing tier’s success.

Despite the increased MSRP, the game achieved record-breaking sales, further solidifying the trend.

Current releases on platforms such as the eShop now routinely reflect this new pricing structure, although $79.99 remains rarer and is perceived by many as a premium reserved for deluxe or collector’s editions. As the video game industry continues to evolve, transparent pricing communication and value-added offers remain critical for publishers seeking to maintain customer trust.

Gearbox’s Borderlands 4 is now available for pre-order across major digital storefronts.

The ongoing response from fans and industry professionals highlights that the conversation surrounding video game pricing is far from over—and that gamers are continuing to hold publishers accountable for how these changes are presented. For further updates on game pricing trends and news from publishers like Gearbox and Nintendo, stay tuned to our latest coverage.

Borderlands 4 Borderlands Gearbox Randy Pitchford The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Nintendo Switch