‘Borderlands 4’ boss denies release date change is to avoid ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’

The boss of Gearbox Software has denied Borderlands 4’s release date has been changed to avoid the launch window of any other game.

• READ MORE: The biggest and most exciting video games coming out in 2025

Borderlands 4 was officially confirmed last August and earlier this year, the long-awaited sequel was given a release date of September 23. However yesterday (April 29), Gearbox confirmed it would be launching Borderlands 4 early – with the game available from September 12.

No reason was given for the change, but many fans assumed it was to avoid a clash with another game. Bungie’s first-person shooter Marathon was recently confirmed to be launching September 23 while Grand Theft Auto 6 still doesn’t have a release date. Both GTA and Borderlands are published by Take Two, so there’s every chance Gearbox were given a heads up about the Grand Theft Auto 6 release plans.

However Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford has denied the rumours. “Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100 per cent the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find/fix rates,” he wrote on X. “Our decision is literally 0 per cent about any other product’s actual or theoretical launch date.”

Randy what are you trying to hide https://t.co/8nEmVMWXVY

— sei / 特急みのり (@seirent_127) April 30, 2025

“I don’t believe you bro,” replied one fan. “It’s okay to say that you want the best possible release window for your game, nothing wrong with that,” added a second. “Ah, so it IS about ‘other product’s’ release date,” said a third.

Replying to the news of the Borderlands 4 date change on X, one fan asked “getting it out before GTA 6?” to which the official Borderlands account responded with: “I mean”.

According to the official description, “Borderlands 4 is a mayhem-fueled looter shooter, jam-packed with billions of weapons, outrageous enemies, and intense co-op action.” Players can explore the dangerous hidden planet Kairos as one of four new badass Vault Hunters.

More information will be revealed later today (April 30) during a dedicated State Of Play presentation. “Strap in for over 20 minutes of developer-guided gameplay, including missions, killer weapons, exciting Action Skills, new and returning characters, and more.”

The showcase will be broadcast at 10pm BST and will be available to watch here.

Following the flop Borderlands movie, Pitchford compared himself to The Beatles. “I wish everything could be a hit, but that is not how it works,” he explained. “The greatest musical act of all time, The Beatles, had a 25 per cent hit rate. I’m sure every song they recorded was done with love and commitment to the art and belief in the quality of their work. When artists have a miss, that’s when they need fans the most to root them on so they are motivated to keep creating.”

In other news, Call Of Duty has announced that Seth Rogen is heading to Black Ops 6 as part of their Season Three Reloaded update.

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