Borderlands 4 has taken the gaming world by storm with a strong debut that broke records for the series. In its initial hours, it became the most successful Borderlands launch on PC, boasting over 100,000 concurrent players on Steam and surpassing 300,000 by its opening weekend. The game sold 2 million units in its first week, establishing itself as one of the top-selling games in the US for 2025. Despite these impressive numbers, Take-Two Interactive’s Strauss Zelnick revealed that the sales were “softer” than anticipated.
A Rocky Road to Launch
In a discussion with The Game Business post the announcement of the Grand Theft Auto VI delay to November 2026, Zelnick shared insights into Borderlands 4’s performance. While the game received critical acclaim, it struggled commercially due to a challenging PC launch marred by performance issues and numerous bugs. Zelnick noted that while initial sales were less than hoped, he remains optimistic about the game’s long-term success. Gearbox has been actively addressing these issues, promising continuous improvements.
Developer Responses and Player Reactions
On the heels of its release, the PC version of Borderlands 4 faced criticism from players due to poor performance. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford defended the game on social media, describing the PC version as “pretty optimal“, despite the backlash. Fortunately, Gearbox has recognized the issues and is working on fixes, with a recent patch leading to significant performance improvements.
