Earlier this week, Gearbox and 2K announced that the former’s highly-anticipated Borderlands 3 will release on September 13 via the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Of course, PS4 and Xbox One gamers momentarily put aside their differences to celebrate together an earlier than expected release date. Meanwhile, many PC gamers have been crusading and protesting the game. Why? Because alongside announcing the release date, Gearbox and 2K revealed that the title on PC will launch exclusively on the Epic Games Store, and won’t come to Steam until six months later.
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In response to the announcement, PC gamers — mostly Steam loyalists — have been sounding off across social media and gaming forums, expressing their displeasure and detailing their reasons why this is bad for the PC gaming community. Here’s just a slither of it:
“why are you negative about Borderlands 3 on Epic Games Store?” HERE YOU GO #Borderlands3 #EpicFail #EpicGamesStore pic.twitter.com/KGAQGCn3Xv
— Seleyes (@Seleyes) April 3, 2019
Borderlands 3 as an exclusive for epic games store is a no purchase for me #Borderlands3 #EpicGamesStore
— Josh Roberts (@JoshRob36975416) April 4, 2019
The fact that Borderlands 3 is an Epic store exclusive for 6 months is just STUPID. I own the entire series on steam. I want to keep it all there. I don’t wanna wait 6 months for a game that should be 75% off by then and is dead. Do this shit with new series. Way to kill my hype.
— Noble (@Lost_Pause_) April 3, 2019
me: *has quit pirating games*
“borderlands 3 might be an Epic Games Store exclusive”
also me: pic.twitter.com/NrieiWLM8l
— OH-NO (@duwanghours) April 3, 2019
thanks @GearboxOfficial and @EpicGames to make me save more money cause i ain’t buy shit from you. fuck exclusives, fuck fortnite and epic store. we are waiting more than 5 years for borderlands 3. and it’s released on EPIC!?? oh hell no, HELL FUCKING NO. pic.twitter.com/B0BiIVUtfo
— 0000000 0000000 (@SuhardiLeonardo) April 2, 2019
The protest didn’t stop there though. In 2019, when a games maker makes you made, what do you do? You go review bomb all of their other games on Steam. That’s exactly what happened to the Borderlands series not longer after the announcement:
Review bombing has started for Borderlands 2 on Steam. Because Borderlands 3 has 6 month Epic Store exclusivity.
Probably not the best way to convince developers putting their games on Steam is a good idea.
Given these sort of Steam features are, clearly, are easily abused. pic.twitter.com/TOG4tsRH9f
— Force (@ForceStrategy) April 3, 2019
The backlash was so substantial, that Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox, took to Twitter to provide more context to the situation, pointing out that it isn’t Gearbox who makes decisions like this, it’s the game’s publisher: 2K.
As a customer, I’m happy to shop in different stores – already do! I’ve bought games from Xbox, Playstation, Switch, Steam, Origin, GOG, Humble, Uplay, Epic and other stores. To me, exclusives are fine when they come w/ advantages and when they are short – say, six months 🙂 2/3
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) April 1, 2019
Of course, Pitchford shifting the blame didn’t do much to quell the protests. That said, others have jumped into the conversation, offering different perspectives, and detailing why the backlash, in their minds, is silly.
All previous Borderlands games getting review-bombed over Take Two’s decision to publish on the Epic Game Store first is ridiculous. User reviews are slowly becoming less and less defensible as a measure of game quality, and platforms without them a safer bet for launch.
— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) April 3, 2019
People are mad that games will be exclusive to the Epic Games store? Lmao holy shit people get ‘outraged’ about everything. Everyone calm down and go back to buying your loot boxes and playing your console exclusive games.
“Anti-consumer” lol
— Tyler | Code WILDCAT (@I_AM_WILDCAT) April 3, 2019
So Borderlands 3 is an Epic Games Store exclusive. A little disappointed. I hate all of these launchers and I’m worried about their CS & account security.
But what can you expect at this point? Steam allows HOT GARBAGE on their platform and takes 2x – 3x more of a revenue cut.
— Chilled Chaos (@ChilledChaos) April 3, 2019
Borderlands 3 is in development for PS4, PC, and Xbox One, and until the game releases on Steam in April 2020, expect to hear much more about this issue. At the moment of publishing, there’s been no word of a Nintendo Switch port.
For more news, media, and information on the highly-anticipated and zany post-apocalyptic looter-shooter, be sure to peep all of our previous coverage of the game by clicking right here.
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