Gearbox's highly anticipated first-person shooter, Borderlands 4, is set to launch earlier than expected, as confirmed by 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 hit the shelves on September 12, across multiple platforms including PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
In the video, Pitchford expressed enthusiasm about the project, 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!" Additionally, he mentioned that a PlayStation State of Play focused on Borderlands 4 is expected to be released soon.
The decision to move Borderlands 4's release date forward has sparked speculation about its timing in relation to the looming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), set for sometime in the fall of 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. With GTA 6's vague release window, there's a possibility that Borderlands 4 was shifted to avoid direct competition. It's noteworthy that both games are under the umbrella of Take-Two, with Borderlands 4 published by 2K Games and GTA 6 developed by Rockstar, both owned by Take-Two. This strategic move might be influenced by high-level decisions to ensure each game has its own space in the market.
If Borderlands 4 launches on September 12, it could potentially clear the way for GTA 6 to release in October, November, or December 2025, or even later. However, this raises concerns about potential market cannibalization among Take-Two's major releases, including Mafia: The Old Country, set to launch in the summer of 2025.
In an interview with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, conducted in February, he addressed these concerns, stating that the company plans its releases to avoid cannibalization. Zelnick emphasized the importance of respecting consumers' time with hit games, saying, "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... So we feel really good about it and I think that we will time our releases so as to respect the consumer's need to spend a lot of time playing these hit games before they go on to the next."
Amidst this speculation, there remains the possibility that GTA 6 could face delays, potentially shifting its release into early winter or the first quarter of 2026. When asked about the confidence in 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."
