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

Randy Pitchford, the development chief at Gearbox, has firmly stated that the decision to release Borderlands 4 earlier than planned was not influenced by the release dates of other games, including Marathon or Grand Theft Auto 6. Originally slated for September 23, Borderlands 4 will now launch on September 12 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

The 11-day shift in release date led to speculation that it might have been adjusted to avoid clashing with GTA 6, which is set to launch in the fall of 2025. Both games are under the Take-Two umbrella, with Take-Two also being the parent company of GTA developer Rockstar. There were also rumors that the move might have been to sidestep a direct competition with Bungie's Marathon, a co-op focused extraction shooter set for release on the same day as the original Borderlands 4 release date, September 23, 2025.

However, Pitchford took to Twitter to clarify that the decision to move Borderlands 4's release date was solely based on "confidence" and the "development trajectory." He stated, "Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100% the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates. Our decision is literally 0% about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date."

Despite many games typically facing delays, the decision to move a release date forward is unusual. Chris Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, expressed skepticism about the move, suggesting that if it wasn't influenced by other games' release dates, the decision seems "a bit odd." He pointed out that the original release date was already set in various marketing materials and online platforms.

In a video message, Pitchford announced the new release date with excitement, emphasizing that everything was going well and that the game was performing exceptionally. "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," he said.

Given that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, which, along with Gearbox and the Borderlands IP, is owned by Take-Two, there's a high-level oversight of all the company's games. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick had previously mentioned in an interview with IGN that the company plans its releases to avoid cannibalization, aiming to respect the consumer's need to spend time on hit games before moving to the next.

Amid these developments, there's ongoing speculation about potential delays for GTA 6, possibly shifting into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. Zelnick responded cautiously to questions about GTA 6's fall 2025 release, acknowledging the inherent risks of delays but expressing confidence in the current plans.

Borderlands 4 is set to have its own PlayStation State of Play broadcast on April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST, providing further details and excitement for fans eagerly awaiting its earlier-than-expected release.