Summary
The controversy surrounding Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford andBorderlands 4’s potential $80 price has prompted the popular indie publishing houseDevolver Digitalto chime in, promoting its upcoming co-op shooterMycopunkin the process.Devolver Digitalis the publisher behind hits likeCult of the Lamb, Enter the Gungeon,Death’s Door, andThe Messenger, and is known to piggyback off gaming trends and controversies to humorously promote its own upcoming slate of games.
TheBorderlands 4price dramabegan when the face behind the franchise, Randy Pitchford, responded to a fan on Twitter who expressed valid concern about potentially being faced with an $80 price tag for the upcoming looter shooter. “If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen,” Pitchford said, before adding an anecdote of his own about having to scrounge up $80 as a recent high school grad to be able to affordStarflightin 1991. His comment was met with widespread backlash from gamers who felt Pitchford was too dismissive of a very real industry-wide concern among gaming fans.
It wasn’t just gamers who let their disapproval of Pitchford’s comment be heard.Devolver Digital also joined in with its own joke, as the indie brand typically does in scenarios like this. Quote-tweeting an IGN post covering the original Randy Pitchford story, Devolver posted a short clip ofMycopunk. “You’re gonna be able to buyMycopunkfor you and three of your friends for the price of one copy ofBorderlands 4,” the post reads.
Devolver Digital Responds to Randy Pitchford
Devolver was clever in using theBorderlands 4price drama to promoteMycopunk, and even the game’s developer, Pigeons at Play, retweeted Devolver’s response. If Devolver’s claim is indeed accurate, it would mean that its yet-to-be-released co-op shooter is aiming to cost about $20. Pitchford soon responded to Devolver, quote-tweeting the publisher’s response with some more playful banter. It’s not clear whether Pitchford was taking a jab atMycopunkor agreeing with Devolver that the indie FPSwon’t cost nearly as much asBorderlands 4. Nevertheless, Pitchford’s latest response to Devolver didn’t do him any favors, and he has yet to provide any sort of apology for his original comment.
Looking ahead,Borderlands 4has its September 12 release datelocked in, and will likely make an appearance at Summer Game Fest next month when its pre-orders are expected to go live. It’s then that fans will be able to know for sure whether the fourth mainlineBorderlandsinstallment will truly cost $80. As forMycopunk, it’s planning its release sometime this year and has a Steam demo currently available for gamers who are interested in checking it out.
