Summary
- Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford recently came under fire for blocking a Twitch streamer over Borderlands 4 criticism.
- He has since responded, saying that there was no critique, just “shi**y negativity”.
- Pitchford argues that if you want the “best Borderlands”, you need to root for and cheer on Gearbox.
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford drew fire last month from the Borderlands community after muting Twitch streamer Mitsu for posting a lengthy thread about their concerns with the new game. “Don’t need this energy right now as the team and I bust our a** to make BL4 the best Borderlands game yet,” Pitchford replied.
Just a few days ago, Midwest Games dev Gothalion tagged the pair, arguing that Mitsu’s “critique came from a place of love”, while asking Pitchford to reconsider and “digest [the thread] gracefully”.
“I didn’t see any critique,” Pitchford responded (as reported by GamesRadar). “I just saw shi**y negativity that was demotivating. Want the best Borderlands? Root for us and cheer us on. If you take developer’s passion for granted, we’ll all pay the price. I love criticism and, thankfully, I have never been in short supply. Don’t gaslight me on his post. It wasn’t criticism. It was pessimism. It’s toxic for people killing themselves for your entertainment, so fu** that noise.”
What Did Mitsu Say?
As for what Mitsu said to spark the controversy in the first place, he argued that Borderlands 4 needs a “robust, long term post-launch vision” to keep players invested, worrying that without it, the game will struggle to stand out amidst a crowded looter-shooter and live-service market. Otherwise, he argued, it’ll be dead on arrival.
“I really worry about [Borderlands 4]. It feels like the movie, feels like other situations where the publisher yanked the marketing budget to cut losses since projected sales are way, way down,” Mitsu said. “I’ve yet to see anything that moved me towards being sold on this being a fully conceptualised, completed vision about what a main line BL title of the future should look like.”
However, while many condemned Pitchford for not being able to take criticism, Mitsu was a lot more understanding in his initial reply; “I don’t take it personally, never do. You probably won’t see this ’till we’re done, if ever, but I remember walking the streets of Budapest with you leading up to the rooftop mixer. I know your passion, and what you do with it. I hope you prove me wrong.”
Looter Shooter
Action
Adventure
RPG
- Released
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September 23, 2025
- ESRB
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Rating Pending