Initially, we were led to believe that there won’t be any microtransactions in Borderlands 3. However, the game’s developer has made it clear now that they will exist but only for cosmetic items. This means that players will need to use real money to purchase certain weapon, character or vehicle skins.
The initial statement of Randy Pitchford was the reason why most fans were confused, as he initially claimed that “there’s not going to be any microtransactions, there’s not going to be any of that nonsense”.
The CEO response
Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford seems to believe that his words were taken out of context. He blamed GameInformer for removing the context and he shared a lengthy response. Pitchford posted a series of tweets that can be read below:
Did you watch it? I literally explained what we *were* doing literal seconds before mentioning microtransactions in the context of F2P tactics which we are NOT doing. GameInformer omitted context and used words that caused you to believe I had lied. I did not.
There are tons of free cosmetics that are part of the game. That’s what I was talking about in that moment. When I mentioned microtransactions, it was clearly in the context of F2P tactics. Later, Sage talked about future DLC type cosmetics ala Borderlands 2. That is likely, not certain.
Also, context matters. The words I said immediately prior to the word “microtransactions” combined with the context of prior record with Borderlands games combined with the practices witnessed in the industry of competitive titles should, on the whole, be exonerating.
Please respect the context of the ten sentences prior to the sentence you reference along with the history of the Borderlands franchise on this point. The sum of that context is wholly exonerating of any claims of willful misinformation.
Sorry for any confusion. In the same breath I said, “If you have played prior Borderlands games, you will feel right at home.” This was meant to signal a commitment to following in the traditions we have established. You can trust that – it’s as solid as the Earth.
It appears that we’ll have to wait until the game is launched to see exactly how microtransactions work there. Borderlands 3 will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 13th.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.
