Randy Pitchford, the development chief at Gearbox, has firmly stated that the early release of Borderlands 4 was not influenced by the release schedules of other games, such as Marathon or Grand Theft Auto 6. Originally set for a September 23 launch, Borderlands 4 will now hit the shelves on September 12, available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
This shift in release date led to speculation that GTA 6's anticipated fall 2025 launch might have prompted Take-Two, the parent company of both Gearbox and GTA developer Rockstar, to adjust Borderlands 4's schedule for better market positioning. There was also chatter about potential competition with Bungie's Marathon, another co-op focused shooter slated for the same original release date of September 23, 2025.
However, Pitchford took to Twitter to clarify that the decision to move Borderlands 4 forward was purely based on "confidence" in the game and its "development trajectory," and had "0% to do with any other product's actual or theoretical launch date."
Despite this, Chris Dring, Editor-In-Chief and Co-Founder of The Game Business, expressed skepticism, suggesting that shifting a well-publicized release date without a clear commercial rationale is unusual. Dring highlighted the logistical challenges of changing dates that are already set in marketing materials and public announcements.
In a video message, Pitchford shared his excitement about the early release, emphasizing the positive development progress and the team's performance. "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.
It's important to note that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two, which also owns Gearbox and the Borderlands IP. At the executive level, including CEO Strauss Zelnick, there is a strategic interest in ensuring that all games under the Take-Two umbrella have the best chance at success. Zelnick has previously emphasized the company's strategy to avoid cannibalizing its own releases, planning launch timings to respect consumer playtime and engagement with hit games.
Amidst these discussions, there's ongoing speculation about potential delays for GTA 6, which might shift into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. Zelnick, while confident, acknowledged the inherent risks in game development timelines, stating, "Look, there's always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things. So we feel really good about it."
Borderlands 4 will receive further attention today with its own PlayStation State of Play broadcast scheduled for April 30 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / 11pm CEST.
