Since its launch on Steam on September 12, 2025, "Borderlands 4" has drawn widespread complaints from players regarding its poor PC performance, quickly leading to "mixed" reviews. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has personally addressed the criticism, responding via social media for several days, but his stance and remarks have only fueled further controversy. 
Digital Foundry 's initial tests revealed severe stuttering issues with the PC version of "Borderlands 4," advising players to avoid the "Badass" highest graphics settings and highlighting ongoing optimization challenges with Unreal Engine 5.
In response to the criticism, Pitchford not only repeatedly urged players to utilize technologies like DLSS and frame generation to improve their gaming experience, but also bluntly stated that dissatisfied players could "refund the game via Steam, wait for a sale, or simply wait for hardware to improve before playing."
He declared, "I'm not arguing; I'm trying to help you make trade-offs between framerate, resolution, and visual quality. If you want to play now, adjust your settings. If you're not happy, get a refund. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait. My advice is to accept reality and adjust, or don't play." He further emphasized with a car analogy: "You can't put a Ferrari engine in a monster truck and expect it to drive like a Ferrari."
These remarks have displeased some players, who perceive the developer's attitude as arrogant and blame-shifting onto player hardware. However, supporters argue that Pitchford at least offered adjustment options and continues to improve performance through updates.
Gearbox has published an "Nvidia Optimization Guide" on Steam, advising players on how to adjust settings for better performance, but feedback remains polarized. The official statement also noted that each graphics setting modification triggers shader recompilation, requiring at least 15 minutes of gameplay to observe performance changes.
Regarding Pitchford's frequent public statements, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, whose company owns Gearbox, publicly backed Pitchford, emphasizing that while Pitchford often sparks controversy, "Randy is one of the great creators in games, full of passion and personality."
Gearbox has pledged to continue optimizing "Borderlands 4," but whether Pitchford's fiery responses will quell or escalate the controversy remains to be seen.
via： IGN