Well, well, well, look what we have here! Gearbox, those masterminds of milking a franchise drier than the Sahara, have confirmed that Borderlands 4 will only set you back a measly $70 for the privilege of owning the standard edition. 🥳 But wait, there’s more! They’ve also unveiled their ingenious post-launch plans, because why give you a complete game when you can nickel and dime you for eternity? 💰💰💰
Despite the pricing confusion and the usual whining from the perpetually outraged internet crowd, a decision has been made! 🙄 Gearbox, in their infinite wisdom, has decreed that Borderlands 4 will indeed cost $70 for the base game. But don’t worry, they’ve also got a $130 Super Deluxe Edition, which includes bonus items and DLC that probably should have been in the game to begin with. And for the true whales 🐳, there’s a $150 Collector’s Edition, which, hilariously, DOESN’T INCLUDE THE GAME ITSELF! 😂 You’re basically paying for a fancy box and some plastic trinkets, because who needs the actual game, right? The developer, bless their greedy little hearts, also announced that there will be free and paid DLC post-launch. Because “free” content is always truly free, right? 🤔 This clarification came after last month’s PR disaster, when Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, in a moment of sheer brilliance, decided to lecture a fan on X about the price.
As for what you actually get for your hard-earned (or inherited) cash, the $69.99 base edition gets you… the game. Groundbreaking! 🤯 If you’re feeling particularly generous, the $100 edition gives you the base game, some extra skins (because that’s what really matters), and the Bounty Pack Bundle. This bundle includes four separate post-launch DLC Packs, which will also be available for separate purchase for those of you who are gluttons for punishment. Here’s a detailed list of what’s included in the higher-priced versions, because apparently, a simple explanation is too much to ask for:
Borderlands 4 Deluxe Edition
Full base game (duh)
Pre-Order Bonus: Gilded Glory Pack (because pre-ordering is always a great idea!)
1 Vault Hunter Skin (so you can look slightly different while shooting the same enemies)
1 Weapon Skin (because guns need fashion too!)
1 ECHO-4 Drone Skin (because even your drone needs to be stylish)
Firehawk’s Fury Weapon Skin (because one weapon skin is never enough)
Bounty Pack Bundle
4 unique areas, featuring new missions and unique bosses (prepare for repetitive gameplay!)
4 Vault Cards with unique challenges and rewards (more grind, yay!)
New gear and weapons (because loot is life)
New Vault Hunter cosmetics (more ways to waste money!)
4 New vehicles with new cosmetics (because driving around in style is essential)
Borderlands 4 Super Deluxe Edition
Full base game (still a requirement, apparently)
Pre-Order Bonus: Gilded Glory Pack*
1 Vault Hunter Skin
1 Weapon Skin
1 ECHO-4 Drone Skin
Firehawk’s Fury Weapon Skin
Bounty Pack Bundle**
4 unique areas, featuring new missions and unique bosses
4 Vault Cards with unique challenges and rewards
New gear and weapons
New Vault Hunter cosmetics
4 New vehicles with new cosmetics
Ornate Order Pack
4 Vault Hunter Skins
4 Vault Hunter Heads
4 Vault Hunter Bodies
Vault Hunter Pack
2 new playable Vault Hunters (because the original ones weren’t good enough?)
2 new Story Packs, featuring all new story and side missions (prepare for filler content!)
2 new map regions (more places to shoot things!)
New gear and weapons
New Vault Hunter cosmetics
New ECHO-4 cosmetics
Gearbox has released a simple roadmap for post-launch content, because who needs transparency? The standard edition, as expected, comes with absolutely nothing. The Deluxe and Super Deluxe Editions, however, come with… more stuff to buy later! Here’s a breakdown of what each edition’s bundles include:
Deluxe Edition
Bounty Pack Bundle
4 unique areas, featuring new missions and unique bosses.
4 Vault Cards with unique challenges and rewards.
New gear and weapons.
New Vault Hunter cosmetics.
4 New vehicles with new cosmetics
Super Deluxe Edition
The Super Deluxe Edition includes the Bounty Pack Bundle and an additional Bundle, because why not?
Vault Hunter Pack
2 new playable Vault Hunters.
2 new Story Packs, featuring all-new story and side missions.
2 new map regions.
New gear and weapons.
New Vault Hunter cosmetics
New ECHO-4 cosmetics
Gearbox didn’t reveal precisely how Vault Cards will work, but they did state that they function similarly to how they worked in *Borderlands 3*, meaning you can expect more loot and XP for challenges. Because who doesn’t love grinding for hours on end? Additionally, there will be free updates post-launch, even if you don’t purchase an upgraded edition. The cost of the post-launch bundles remains unclear, but you can bet your bottom dollar they won’t be cheap. 🤑
Last month, Pitchford responded to a fan begging not to price *Borderlands 4* at the premium $80 dollar price tag, the new high-end price point adopted by Nintendo and Microsoft. Pitchford, in his infinite wisdom, wrote on X: “If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had *Starflight* for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach, and I found a way to make it happen.” Because comparing a game from 1991 to a modern AAA title is totally relevant. 🤡
Pitchford’s comments generally came off as mean towards the fan, but he attempted to triage the situation by explaining the importance of properly pricing games like *Borderlands 4*. He went on to explain that the increased costs of game development and manufacturing are creating an issue where price increases have to be considered. “The truth is, I don’t know what the price is going to be,” he wrote on X. “I do know that we will be opening pre-orders soon, and that will be when the price is set.” Because transparency is overrated. 🙄
Pitchford continued to salvage what he originally meant in his response to say that Gearbox aims to make sure the game feels like value for money, regardless of the price. This means that if *Borderlands 4* ended up costing $80, it is important for the player to feel like it was money well spent. The latest news about the game was that its release date moved up from its original September 23 date to September 12. Because why not release it earlier and give them less time to polish it? 🤔
*Borderlands 4* will be releasing on the Nintendo Switch 2 later this year, as well as the previously announced PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC versions. So get ready to open your wallets and prepare for another round of looter-shooter madness! 🎉🎉🎉
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
