Borderlands Franchise’s Success Comes From Lack of Real Competitors in the Genre – Gearbox CEO

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The *Borderlands* series has been incredibly successful, and the latest game, *Borderlands 4*, was also well-received. Gearbox Entertainment’s Randy Pitchford recently told the BBC that a key reason for this success is a lack of strong competition. He believes other developers making similar “looter shooter” games don’t focus enough on making the experience of finding new items truly rewarding.

A key part of what makes the *Borderlands* games fun is constantly deciding if new gear is better than what you already have. According to Pitchford, this process is really engaging. The studio has streamlined this to a quick, simple check within the game. He describes it as a satisfying cycle – our brains enjoy making these kinds of decisions, and it feels good when we do.

According to Pitchford, our ability to practice and improve a skill – whether it’s in a video game or in real life – is a key part of what makes humans unique. This practice is how we developed language and complex thinking skills, allowing us to understand the world around us. He believes the primary function of the prefrontal cortex – the part of our brain responsible for higher-level thinking – is to support this ability to learn and adapt.

So, I was reading an interview with Randy Pitchford about why there aren’t many games like *Borderlands*, and it’s interesting what he said. Apparently, other developers aren’t really trying to compete with it, at least not in a meaningful way. He thinks a lot of similar games pop up because companies see a market opportunity, not because someone had a cool creative idea. Basically, it’s all business decisions or attempts to copy something else instead of being truly original, which is a bit disappointing to hear.

Randy Pitchford, the creator of *Borderlands*, thought it was likely other similar games would emerge after the first one came out in 2009. He believes if that had happened, *Borderlands* wouldn’t have survived, as they wouldn’t have been able to compete with the competition, particularly at that time.

The first *Borderlands* game did well when it launched on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, but the series really took off with *Borderlands 2*. Today, there aren’t many games quite like it, with *Outriders* and the ongoing *Destiny 2* being some of the few competitors. It’s also worth noting that many games in this ‘looter shooter’ style lean towards a ‘roguelite’ format, like the popular game *Gunfire Reborn*.

Borderlands 4 came out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S last month, but players have reported performance issues. Because of this, Gearbox has delayed the Nintendo Switch 2 version. They’re planning a big update next week to address these issues, and the first paid downloadable content, ‘Bounty Pack 1: How Rush Saved Mercenary Day,’ will be available on November 20th.

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2025-10-14 14:11