Gearbox's eagerly anticipated first-person shooter, Borderlands 4, is set to hit the shelves 11 days earlier than initially planned, as revealed by Gearbox's development chief, Randy Pitchford, in a video that inadvertently went live ahead of schedule. Originally slated for a September 23 release, Borderlands 4 will now launch on September 12 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
In the video, Pitchford expressed enthusiasm about the project's progress, stating, "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 further exclaimed, "What?! This never happens you guys! This never happens! We’re moving the launch date forward! You’re gonna get Borderlands 4 earlier!" Pitchford also teased that a PlayStation State of Play dedicated to Borderlands 4 is imminent.
The decision to advance the release date has sparked speculation about potential competition with the impending release of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), which is still scheduled for a fall 2025 launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. With GTA 6's release window being somewhat ambiguous, there is a theory that Borderlands 4 may have been moved to carve out its own space in the market. It's important to note that Borderlands 4 is published by 2K Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two, which also owns Rockstar Games, the developer behind GTA 6. At the executive level, including CEO Strauss Zelnick, strategic decisions are made to maximize the success of all titles under the Take-Two umbrella.
If Borderlands 4 launches on September 12, it may prevent GTA 6 from releasing in the same month or in August, potentially pushing GTA 6 towards an October, November, or December 2025 release. This adjustment, however, raises concerns about potential market cannibalization among Take-Two's major releases, including another 2K title, Mafia: The Old Country, set to launch in summer 2025.
In an interview with IGN in February, Strauss Zelnick addressed these concerns, stating that Take-Two plans its releases to avoid cannibalization, emphasizing a strategy driven by respect for consumers' desire to fully engage with each game before moving on. Zelnick remarked, "No, I think we will plan the releases so as not to have that be a problem... And what we found is when you're giving consumers hits, they tend to be interested in pursuing other hits." He expressed confidence in timing the releases to benefit both the company and its consumers, suggesting that even non-Take-Two hits contribute positively to the industry.
Amidst these considerations, there remains a possibility that GTA 6 might be delayed into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. When questioned about the likelihood of hitting the fall 2025 target for GTA 6, Zelnick responded cautiously, "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."
