Randy Pitchford Remains Defiant About Borderlands 4 PC Issues
The Borderlands series has always been known for its hyper‑stylised art, anarchic humour and addictive looter‑shooter gameplay. When Borderlands 4 finally arrived in 2025, millions of fans jumped back into the chaotic wastelands of Pandora and beyond. The game debuted with record sales across PlayStation, Xbox and PC and quickly climbed to the top of Steam’s charts. However, many PC players reported frustrating performance problems, ranging from frame‑rate drops and stuttering to outright crashes during cut‑scenes and multiplayer sessions. As negative reviews rolled in, Gearbox Software’s CEO Randy Pitchford took to social media to address the backlash. His reaction, rather than appease angry customers, has sparked a new controversy.
A rocky PC launch
Upon release, threads on community forums and social platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) filled with complaints about Borderlands 4’s PC performance. Players with high‑end rigs described persistent frame‑rate dips when traversing large open areas or engaging in chaotic gunfights. Others encountered prolonged shader compilation times, causing minutes‑long waits after every patch or settings change. Some reviews on Steam labelled the port “unoptimised” and criticised its high CPU usage, memory leaks and occasional crashes. The situation echoed similar problems that plagued previous entries at launch, leaving many fans worried that the PC version might be unplayable for weeks.
Instead of posting a carefully crafted apology or outlining a clear roadmap for fixes, Randy Pitchford dove into the conversation himself. Over several days he responded directly to individual players, sometimes offering technical suggestions, but more often pushing back against the criticism. In one lengthy thread, Pitchford claimed that “less than one percent of one percent” of users had filed official support tickets regarding performance—insinuating that the issue was being overblown. When confronted with negative Steam reviews, he argued that thousands of five‑star console reviews balanced out the PC complaints. The dismissive tone of his posts aggravated many readers, who felt that he was minimising real technical problems.
“It works fine on my machine”
Pitchford’s responses ranged from defensive statistics to anecdotal experiences. He repeatedly assured players that the game ran “buttery smooth” on his personal PC and posted videos showing his system maintaining 120 frames per second at Ultra settings. He suggested that those experiencing issues should update their graphics drivers, disable third‑party overlays like Discord and NVIDIA GeForce Experience, and avoid alt‑tabbing during gameplay. In one contentious exchange he told a disgruntled user to “upgrade your rig or play on console.” When another player suggested Gearbox should have delayed the PC launch, Pitchford replied sarcastically, “How about you delay your purchase until your computer meets the spec?”
These comments inevitably drew backlash. Critics pointed out that not everyone can afford to upgrade their hardware for a single game and that many of the reported issues occurred on machines well above the recommended specifications. Others highlighted that modern game development pipelines require extensive QA across diverse PC configurations, and blaming consumers undermines that responsibility. Several community managers and developers at Gearbox attempted to soften Pitchford’s message by sharing detailed troubleshooting guides and promising upcoming patches, but the CEO’s tone had already left a sour taste for many.
Refunds and resignation
As the debate escalated, Pitchford’s posts became even more provocative. In a response that went viral, he told a dissatisfied customer to “Please just get a refund from Steam. We don’t want your money if you aren’t happy.” While offering refunds might seem consumer‑friendly, the blunt delivery felt more like an invitation to leave the community than a sincere solution. Some fans argued that encouraging refunds was a pragmatic way to reduce negative review bombs, while others saw it as a sign that Gearbox had little intention of fixing the PC version. The refund comment also raised concerns about preservation: if early adopters abandon the PC version, fewer people will be available to test patches and give feedback.
Pitchford didn’t stop at refunds. When one user suggested that Gearbox should license a more robust engine to avoid technical pitfalls, he fired back: “Code your own engine and show us how it’s done.” This response quickly became a meme, spawning parodies and t‑shirts quoting his challenge. It also underscored the sense that he was more interested in winning arguments than acknowledging legitimate criticism. Many observers contrasted his behaviour with other industry leaders who routinely apologise for rocky launches and outline plans to address issues.
Understanding the PC development challenge
To be fair, shipping a game of Borderlands 4’s scope on multiple platforms is an enormous technical undertaking. Modern PC hardware spans countless combinations of CPUs, GPUs, drivers and operating systems. Even with extensive testing, unforeseen conflicts can slip through. Shader compilation stutters, for instance, are common in Unreal Engine titles because the engine needs to prepare code for each new hardware configuration during gameplay. Some of the reported crashes could be linked to outdated drivers or third‑party software conflicts. Pitchford’s advice to update drivers and disable overlays is technically sound, but the way he delivered it lacked empathy. Developers and gamers who weighed in on the controversy agreed that clear communication and rapid patching are more effective than deflecting blame.
Gearbox has since released several hotfixes addressing memory leaks, CPU spikes and crash bugs. Players report gradual improvements, though many still experience inconsistent performance. Community moderators have compiled troubleshooting steps, including verifying game files, lowering shadow quality and turning off ray tracing on mid‑range cards. Some PC players have also found relief by enabling AMD FSR or NVIDIA DLSS, which use upscaling technology to improve frame rates at minimal loss of quality. Gearbox has promised a larger stability patch in the coming weeks, and there are indications that the studio is considering an offline shader pre‑compilation system to reduce stutters.
A lesson in communication
The Borderlands 4 PC debacle isn’t just a technical story—it’s a case study in how leaders communicate during crises. Pitchford’s decision to engage directly with critics on social media without a clear plan backfired. While transparency is valuable, the combative tone and dismissal of legitimate grievances created an adversarial relationship with the community. In contrast, other studios have turned around rough launches by acknowledging problems, outlining detailed timelines for patches and engaging players with humility. Players are generally forgiving when they see developers listening and working hard to fix issues; they are far less tolerant of being told that their hardware or playing habits are the problem.
For long‑time fans of the franchise, the controversy is a reminder that the creative minds behind their favourite games are still human—and fallible. Pitchford has a history of showmanship and magic tricks, and his larger‑than‑life personality has often been part of Gearbox’s marketing charm. But leadership also requires the ability to listen to criticism and prioritise players’ experiences over online sparring. As Borderlands 4 continues to receive patches and updates, the hope is that the quality of the game will speak louder than any tweet.
What’s next for PC players?
If you’re a PC player experiencing issues, there are steps you can take while waiting for official fixes:
- Update your drivers: Make sure your GPU drivers are current. AMD, NVIDIA and Intel regularly release performance patches for new games.
- Verify game files: Use your platform’s file verification system (Steam, Epic Games Store, etc.) to ensure no files are corrupted.
- Adjust settings: Lowering shadow quality, turning off volumetric fog and disabling ray tracing can significantly improve frame rates on mid‑range hardware.
- Disable overlays: Third‑party overlays (Discord, RivaTuner, streaming software) can conflict with some games. Try disabling them temporarily.
- Enable upscaling: Technologies like DLSS (NVIDIA), FSR (AMD) and XeSS (Intel) render at lower resolutions and upscale to your monitor’s resolution, offering smoother performance with minimal visual loss.
More than anything, stay patient. Gearbox has a track record of eventually fixing its games, and community pressure should ensure that the PC version improves over time. If the current experience is unacceptable, follow Randy Pitchford’s own suggestion and request a refund through your digital storefront. Otherwise, consider playing on console until the issues are ironed out.
For additional perspectives on the controversy, you can read GameSpot’s coverage here and PC Gamer’s analysis here.
