When will chief executive officers (CEOs) and higher-ups learn that being too vocal isn’t good for image – unless you get public relations help.
Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software – the maker of Borderlands 4 – went on a defensive tirade against fans and public figures about the state of the game.
The comments weren’t about the gameplay or narrative, both of which received positive feedback and praise.
Rather, it’s the game’s lacklustre performance and issues on PC and memory leaks when played on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series.
This has been a problem since Borderlands 3 in 2019, so you would think Gearbox and its publishing partner 2K Games, would have found ways to fix this, or at the very least behave better in public and online space during the game’s mixed launch.
If there’s anything the video game community hates, it’s having rich higher-ups complain about how bad they got it.
The reality is they are charging people luxury prices for a broken product, and will guilt-trip their customers for not supporting the “empathetic” corporation.
2K Games isn’t alone in this. But for a company that has been handling marketing and PR for so long, you would think they would be able to manage someone as volatile as Randy Pitchford.
Short Beats
Tencent has fired back at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s lawsuit, accusing it of cloning the Horizon series with Light of Motiram. Tencent claims that it is “an improper attempt to fence off a well-trodden corner of popular culture”.
Netflix has released a new trailer for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, the latest animated series adaptation of Ubisoft’s stealth series. The show will debut on Oct 14.
Sega will announce a new Yakuza game next week, which is most likely a remake of Yakuza 3/Like A Dragon 3, according to recent official website leaks.
The remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is rumoured to come out in March 2026 and may add in extra content and RPG mechanics. Palworld will leave Early Access in 2026 and will get a massive 1.0 update from then on.
Op-Ed
We talked about the recent 2XKO fighting game closed beta from Riot Games.
Games Out This Week
Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a new isometric roguelite set in a mystical Japanese setting.
You play as one of the eight Guardians who have to escort title character Towa through a monster-filled pilgrimage to deal with the Magahatsu threat plaguing the land. Out for PC and consoles.
Dying Light: The Beast is the latest sequel to the Dying Light franchise, a first-person action-adventure game featuring parkour and zombies. Out for PC and consoles.
Little Witch in the Woods is an indie life simulation title for PC where you play as a witch on a road to self-discovery. Explore brand-new areas, craft potions, and help the villagers nearby to expand your witchy ways and keep cozy in its relaxing world.
LEGO Voyagers is a two-player co-op puzzle game about friendship and play, all by using Lego bricks and playsets to convey its levels & aesthetics.
Troublemaker 2: Beyond Dream is an Indonesian-made action-adventure beat-em-up set in the modern city of South Jayakarta.
The journey of the ‘Parakacuk’ gang continues alongside the ‘Beyond Dream’ band in South Jayakarta city in this fun open-world action-comedy beat-’em-up game.
Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition is a remastered version of the 2007 original match-three puzzle and RPG hybrid title, with new quality-of-life features. Out for PC and consoles.
Rift of the Necrodancer has received new DLC featuring the music of Monstercat.
A demo of a new 2D action-adventure title Alabaster Dawn is out now. The upcoming pixel art title is made by Radical Fish, who made the indie acclaimed title CrossCode back in 2018.
Recommended Viewing
Gamers Nexus has made an expose on the NVidia AI GPU black market in China. It’s a worthy watch in seeing the dark side of video game hardware that involves even the government.
