Heated Borderlands 4 Poll Asks Players to Choose Between Steam and Epic Games Exclusivity

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Randy Pitchford, head of Gearbox Software, recently posted a survey querying players about their opinions on potentially creating future games like Borderlands 4 solely available through digital marketplaces such as the Epic Games Store. For a long time, Steam has been the go-to platform for PC gamers to purchase and play their digital games due to its simplicity and user-friendly interface. Over the years, it has evolved and enhanced with features like achievements, friend lists, and more recently, the Steam Deck. Generally considered the best choice for PC gaming, competitors have emerged, one of them being the Epic Games Store, which has risen in popularity due to its offering of free games and exclusive titles.

Exclusive PC versions of remarkable titles such as “Alan Wake 2” are only available on the Epic Games Store, thanks to Epic’s involvement in publishing the game. While some may recognize Epic’s role in bringing this game to life, many players have expressed disappointment at being limited to the Epic Games Store. There are several factors contributing to this discontent; for instance, concerns about excessive system resource usage, criticism over Epic’s practice of giving certain games exclusive discounts (often referred to as “money hatting”), and reported issues with customer service. However, preferences can vary greatly, as some individuals genuinely appreciate the Epic Games Store.

Borderlands 4 Boss Holds Poll Asking About Steam and Epic Games Store Exclusivity

Randy Pitchford, head of Gearbox Software, has disclosed that high-ranking officials within Gearbox or its parent company Take-Two Interactive are contemplating the possibility of exclusive releases for games like Borderlands 4 between the Epic Games Store and Steam. He encourages fans to express their preferences in a poll regarding which platform they would pre-order Borderlands 4 on, as this could potentially influence the exclusivity decisions. It’s important to note that Borderlands 4 will be available on both platforms, so there’s no cause for concern at the moment. However, these deliberations are likely to shape the release strategies of future games, and it appears that these executives plan to analyze sales and pre-orders data to make such decisions.

Approximately 53% of the around 10,000 surveyed participants expressed their intention to pre-order the game on Steam given this information, while approximately 37.8% said they wouldn’t. The figures for Epic users were significantly lower, with about 2.7% saying they would and 5.6% saying they wouldn’t. It appears that a significant number of Steam users are not strongly against the idea of games being exclusive to Steam, although there was still a notable group who voiced their opposition.

Are you considering the impact of exclusivity deals between Epic Games Store (EGS) and Steam when deciding which platform to pre-order Borderlands 4 on? If knowing your choice could sway exclusivity decisions, would that affect your decision?

— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) June 28, 2025

In all probability, a significant number of sales for Borderlands 4 on PC will likely occur via Steam due to its popularity as the leading platform. For now, we can only anticipate the outcome, but with high expectations, Borderlands 4 is predicted to be one of the major releases this year. It’s understandable that decision-makers are closely monitoring its performance across various platforms to make such predictions.

For the initial six months following its PC debut, Borderlands 3 was only available on the Epic Games Store due to a timed exclusivity deal worth approximately $150 million. Despite the high cost, Epic managed to recoup their investment. This demonstrates that gamers are willing to migrate to alternative platforms when a game is significantly popular. In contrast, the collector’s edition for Borderlands 4 is exclusive to GameStop, but the impact of this deal is relatively minor compared to the previous one. It remains uncertain if future Borderlands or Gearbox games will follow suit with such exclusivity arrangements.

Borderlands 4 will release on Xbox, PS5, PC, and even Nintendo Switch 2 on September 12th.

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2025-06-29 23:41