‘Borderlands’ game exec compares himself to The Beatles after film flop

2 September, 2024

Borderlands

Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford has compared himself to The Beatles following the release of the flop Borderlands film.

Gearbox has had a rough few weeks. The long-awaited Borderlands film has only made a reported $31million (£23.6million) in box office sales, compared to a budget of $110million (83.7million) and is coming to streaming services to try and recoup some of those losses.

To make things worse, the first Risk Of Rain 2 DLC to be released since Gearbox purchased the IP in 2022 from Hopoo has had a disastrous launch, with fans complaining that Seekers Of The Storm is more expensive than previous expansions and is full of bugs, which is affecting every version of the game. One of the developers went on to admit that the PC version of the game was “in a really bad place” following the launch (via PCGamer).

However, ignoring the many issues, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford took to social media to shout about Risk Of Rain 2 and Seekers Of The Storm topping the Steam charts. “We did it,” he wrote on X.

“Just because your name is attached to Gearbox, it doesn’t mean you did anything for Risk Of Rain 2. You ruined the Borderlands movie, the last 2 Borderlands games were horrible, why are you like this dude?” wrote one fan, before Pitchford called them a “hater”.

“I am doubting your judgment and shot calling ability to do anything good anymore,” replied the fan.

“I’m going to keep making stuff,” said Pitchford. “I wish everything could be a hit, but that is not how it works. The greatest musical act of all time, The Beatles, had a 25 per cent hit rate. I’m sure every song they recorded was done with love and commitment to the art and belief in the quality of their work.”

“When artists have a miss, that’s when they need fans the most to root them on so they are motivated to keep creating,” he continued. “I don’t know if I will ever make anything again that you like, but wouldn’t it be better for you to have that chance to decide than for artists to never create again after a marketplace miss?”

“Please don’t compare yourself to The Beatles. Even their worst stuff is gold. Alien Colonial Marines and your recent Borderlands movie? That’s in a league of their own manure,” said one fan, with another writing: “When The Beatles released new songs, they didn’t retroactively make their older songs significantly worse and / or literally impossible to listen to. They also didn’t do this to other people’s music.”

Gearbox has confirmed that Borderlands 4 is due for release at some point in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. According to the official description, “players will assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter as they blast their way through hordes of enemies in search of new treasures to loot on an all-new planet.”

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