As Borderlands 4 barrels toward its September 23, 2025 release date, Gearbox Software’s outspoken CEO, Randy Pitchford, has taken to social media with a plea that’s equal parts rallying cry and reprimand. “Want the best Borderlands? Root for us and cheer us on,” he posted on Twitter, urging fans to drown out the negativity he claims is “demotivating” his team.
The outburst follows a rocky reveal of the game’s trailer at The Game Awards in December 2024, which left many fans underwhelmed by what they see as a lazy, overly inclusive cast of Vault Hunters, building on the woke narrative foundation laid by Borderlands 3 which was divisive amongst longstanding fans of the franchise.
With Pitchford now doubling down on his defense of the project, the question looms: is this a genuine call for support, or a last-ditch effort to emotionally blackmail fans for a game already teetering on the edge of rejection.
The trouble began when the Borderlands 4 reveal dropped, showcasing four new Vault Hunters set to storm the chaotic planet of Kairos. Billed as “the most ambitious Borderlands yet,” the game promises deep skill trees, dynamic movement, and a fight against the tyrannical Timekeeper. Yet, the reveal failed to ignite the enthusiasm Pitchford had hyped up in advance, tweeting phrases like “I’M FREAKING OUT, yo” and calling the trailer “badass af.”
Many former Borderlands fans, myself included, have been vocal in criticizing the new Vault Hunters in Borderlands 4. The roster features a bulky brute with a generic design, a token brown “hot guy” and a short Black tech-savvy female character rocking oversized gloves, gadgets, and curly hair.
What’s striking, though, is that none of the four playable Vault Hunters are White, a choice that feels more like a forced attempt at diversity than one driven by character depth.
Meanwhile, the latest Siren embraces a tougher, more masculine aesthetic, and notably, she is also a woman of color. Additionally, the Siren’s unique purple-accented tattoos deviate from the franchise’s traditional blue designs, which have historically been a defining trait of female Sirens.
Everything changed with the release of Borderlands 3, a commercial success but a massive disappointment for longtime fans. Written by Sam Winkler, who, just a year prior, defended DEI consultancy by labeling gamers as bigots simply for opposing DEI-driven inclusivity mandates.
Borderlands 3 felt like a product of game developers outsourcing their narratives and character designs to third-party firms more focused on identity politics than good storytelling, with such consultants usually being gender studies graduates who are prejudiced against White heterosexuals.
Beyond being filled with unfunny and cringeworthy writing, Borderlands 3 also made drastic changes to established characters. Iconic figures like Tiny Tina and Sir Hammerlock were now homosexual, and since Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, every in-game relationship has been exclusively same-sex. Gearbox even dedicated an entire Borderlands 3 DLC expansion to the wedding of Sir Hammerlock and the heir of the Jakobs Corporation.
Additionally, the game introduced the franchise’s first transgender character, Lorelei, or “Lor.”
Since Borderlands 3, the franchise has only intensified this approach. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, essentially a glorified DLC sold as a full-priced game, prominently featured LGBT characters and questlines centered around them. It also introduced the option to select pronouns and body types beyond traditional male and female descriptors.
Similarly, New Tales from the Borderlands continued to push ideological messaging and LGBT inclusivity, both titles faced widespread backlash and underwhelming sales, resulting in Embracer losing a $2 billion deal with Saudi Arabia leading to the Texan studio being sold by Embracer at a massive loss to 2K.
This, of course, comes from the same company that made a point of publicly stating that Borderlands 3’s robotic Vault Hunter, FL4K, identifies as non-binary and is subsequently designed featuring a pin depicting a non-binary flag.
Needless to say, when it comes to AAA gaming, Gearbox Software is among the most aggressive in injecting diversity and inclusivity into their narratives, whether players want it or not.
But beyond the ideological shift, another issue looms over Borderlands 4: the integrity of the Siren lore.
The Borderlands series has consistently depicted female Sirens with blue tattoos. However, Borderlands 3 introduced a major deviation with Troy Calypso, the franchise’s first male Siren, whose red tattoos sharply contrasted the established blue. More concerning was his role in the game, draining the powers of other Sirens, setting a precedent for further lore alterations.
Why does tattoo color matter? Because the reveal of Borderlands 4’s new Siren who is both racially diverse and designed with a more masculine aesthetic features purple tattoos, a color conveniently created by mixing red and blue. While this remains speculative, given Sam Winkler’s well-documented fixation on transgender themes within the franchise, long-time fans might reasonably suspect that Borderlands 4’s Siren is either a hermaphrodite or, more likely, transgender.
As Borderlands moves forward, it appears poised to retain much of its predecessor’s forced humor, outdated memes, and heavy focus on diversity and inclusivity. Fans have been candid with Gearbox Software about their concerns regarding the game’s reveal, prompting CEO Randy Pitchford to respond with public outbursts on social media.
Randy Pitchford reacting poorly to criticism is nothing new. Earlier this year, he muted long-time Borderlands supporters and content creators on Twitter after they voiced their disappointment with the disastrous Borderlands movie. The film not only suffered from terrible casting choices but also flopped at the box office, bearing little resemblance to the franchise beyond its name.
The decision sparked a social media firestorm, with fans accusing Pitchford of avoiding accountability and silencing criticism. This time, Randy Pitchford is upset that sponsored content creators are pointing out the similarities between Borderlands 3 and Borderlands 4, which sets a concerning precedent. Even Gothalion, a longtime Borderlands content creator and current Audience Director at Midwest Games, weighed in, criticizing Pitchford’s dismissal of what he called “valid concerns” from the community.
Unfazed by the backlash, Randy Pitchford doubled down, insisting the negativity wasn’t constructive criticism but rather “shitty pessimism” that threatens to sap his team’s morale. He fired back, claiming he didn’t see “critique” but rather “shitty negativity” that “undermines his team’s passion.” Negative reception toward their half-baked, woke narratives, he argued, was “toxic for people killing themselves for your entertainment,” before snapping, “fuck that noise.”
Yet, his claim to “love criticism” rings hollow when paired with his habit of blocking detractors and railing against so-called pessimism whenever the community calls out bad writing, lazy design, or forced political pandering.
Pitchford’s plea for positivity mirrors a growing trend in the gaming industry, where developers increasingly expect blind consumer loyalty while simultaneously antagonizing their own fanbases.
Time and again, major studios and their developers have openly expressed disdain for the very players who sustain their business, whether it’s the infamous “gamers were a mistake” sentiment, the brazen “I want to punch gamers” remark, anti-White racism or outright political extremism with statements like “kill your local MAGA” from a technical artist working at Blizzard.
These aren’t isolated incidents; they’re symptoms of an industry that resents accountability yet demands unwavering support.
Ubisoft is facing a similar reckoning. Gamers are openly rooting for their downfall, fed up with the company’s DEI-driven rewriting of history, such as its revisionist portrayal of Yasuke, a figure whose real-life story is shrouded in so much mystery it served as the perfect blank slate to force diversity checkboxes. Japan’s culture and heritage are being deliberately scrutinized and desecrate to fit Ubisoft’s ideological narrative, corrupting the integrity of game design in the process.
Meanwhile, Pitchford insists that “shitty negativity” could undermine the passion driving Borderlands 4, a game he’s hyped as “the most ambitious Borderlands yet.” However, that passion seems to be in short supply, even among fans. Rather than winning over critics with improved gameplay or a compelling story, Pitchford has resorted to guilt-tripping the audience, framing any dissatisfaction as an attack on the hardworking developers. But players aren’t buying it.
Instead of drumming up excitement, his outbursts have only fueled the fire, with detractors accusing him of playing the victim rather than addressing the overwhelmingly negative reception to the game’s trailer which appears to be much of the same monotonous jargon consumers have been subjected to since Borderlands 3.
At this rate, Borderlands 4 is set to follow the same trajectory as its predecessor, a game bogged down by corporate pandering and creative stagnation, driving even the most loyal fans away. But this time, the stakes are even higher. With the failures of New Tales from the Borderlands and the underwhelming performance of Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands already weighing Gearbox down, Borderlands 4 won’t just be another misstep, it could very well be the nail in the coffin for the studio itself.
In the end, Pitchford and Gearbox had a choice: listen to the fans and course-correct. Fans like myself have long hoped for a true continuation of the original Borderlands experience the one Anthony Burch helped shape. An earnest, gritty narrative centered around the ancient alien race of Eridians and the vaults they left behind, rumored to hold unfathomable treasures.
But instead of building on that foundation, Gearbox has all but erased the Eridian prospect in favor of cramming in forced humor, meme culture, and ticking off every DEI checkbox imaginable.
Rather than steering the franchise back to what made it compelling, Gearbox has predictably doubled down on the same oversaturated, quippy, and commercialized approach that longtime fans have grown to resent. Borderlands 3 was a test of consumer goodwill, one that left players burned by mediocrity.
With Borderlands 4, it seems Gearbox is once again determined to push their agenda over delivering a game that respects its roots. At this rate, both Borderlands and Gearbox itself are on a well-worn path, the same one that so many franchises have taken when they put activism before entertainment and judging by Pitchford’s latest tantrum, it looks like they’ve already built their coffin.
Now, all consumers have to do is stand back and wait for Randy to lay in it.
