Everybody watched as the Fallout TV adaptation reignited interest in Bethesda’s seminal post-apocalyptic RPG. Yeah, that’s not happening for Borderlands. While people dashed out to buy and play for the first time or revisit Fallout’s universe, nobody who was new to the Borderlands IP that sat through the movie is heading to Steam the second they get home. And that’s a huge shame.
Okay, so big-screen adaptations of video games can often be awful, just as game adaptations of moves often go the same way, but we have been spoilt of late with the, albeit TV rather than movie, versions of both Fallout and The Last of Us.
So will Borderland (the movie) quickly be forgotten and indeed forgiven as work continues to go into Borderlands 4 (the game, perish the thought we ever get a sequel or beyond to the film)? With the success of Tiny Tina’s Wonderland a couple of years back as a Borderlands spin-off the clamor is definitely there for the next game on the main arc.
Gearbox CEO has been quick to jump on the movie’s negative press and use it to excite fans of the game on X as he posted, “So what you’re saying is: You like what my friends and I do with our Borderlands video games even more than you like what some of the biggest and best cast and crew of filmmakers on the planet have done, I’m super flattered! We’re working extra hard four you on what’s next…”
So what you're saying is: You like what my friends and I do with our Borderlands video games even more than you like what some of the biggest and best cast and crew of film makers on the planet have done. I'm super flattered! We're working extra hard four you on what's next….
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) August 10, 2024
See what he did there, a little ‘four’ pun just to refocus the mind. Pitchford though has been coming under some internet fire for blocking accounts who criticized the movie, but also ones who were directing extra flak at him and the company.
“I thought he was being a d**k”
Posting about one journalist in particular Pitchford said, “I thought he was being a d**k and so him I blocked on purpose. I unblocked him, but I might block him again… Something about that dude’s attitude just feels off to me. I read some s**t he wrote where he seems to act like he knows me and fronts like he knows something he doesn’t and that doesn’t rub me right… bad vibes.”
The immediate type of response from many was, “He’s a journalist and video game critic he’s allowed to voice an opinion about things.” To which Pitchford doubled down, “Yup – and I’m allowed to block people I think are a**holes. Cheers!
Now, as the storm calms it seems as though Randy is trying to build bridges back and his teaser about the new game will hopefully get the discourse back on track.
The Borderlands franchise is much loved and we are fully confident that the next game in the series will live up to the hype. If anything it could make the studio really focus on proving a point and end up giving us another truly great game. We don’t really have straight-to-DVD bins anymore or the fuss about the movie would have been much less, as would the drama.
Hopefully, Gearbox can focus now on what makes Borderlands such great fun in the first place.
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