Gearbox Entertainment CEO Randy Pitchford has told a Borderlands 4 player unhappy with the game's PC performance to get a refund. He has also doubled down on some advice that Gearbox has previously shared concerning DLSS use in Borderlands 4, with both of those remarks drawing criticism from a vocal section of fans.
Pitchford's outspoken nature and larger-than-life persona have been known to stir up controversy over the years, with the industry veteran publicly offering plenty of blunt takes since founding Gearbox Software in 1999. He recently did so when he opined that "real" fans would find a way to buy Borderlands 4 if it ends up costing $80. The game ended up launching at $70, but not before those comments upset some social media users.
Borderlands 4 Releases a New Update, But There's a Catch
Gearbox releases a new update for Borderlands 4, attempting to address some of the launch issues impacting the game, but there's a small catch.
Borderlands 4 Was 'Designed To Be Just Fine' at 30 FPS, Pitchford Says
Continuing this trend, Pitchford has recently advised one fan to refund Borderlands 4. The idea was floated as part of a lengthy response to complaints about the looter shooter running poorly. Pitchford has been defending Borderlands 4 PC performance since the game's September 12 release, all the while personally offering help to fans to optimize their experience and hit higher frame rates. He did both in a September 15 response to Twitter user ELDee, who claimed Gearbox took days to get Borderlands 4 to a state where they "could tolerate playing it." Pitchford pushed back against the idea, advising them to get a refund if they aren't enjoying it. He also insisted that the looter shooter was "designed to be just fine of an experience at 30fps and feel great at 60fps."
Pitchford Doubles Down on DLSS Advice for Borderlands 4
The CEO's comments also saw him double down on the advice for PC players to use DLSS, Nvidia's AI-powered upscaling technology that can also do frame generation, beginning with the version supported by the RTX 30 Series and newer GPUs. "I'm sorry you don't like being told to use DLSS, but that is the way," Pitchford remarked. Earlier the same day, the executive told a fan suggesting Borderlands 4 should "look good" without relying on AI to code their own engine.
DLSS Isn't a Perfect Solution, But Its Main Issue Doesn't Apply to Borderlands 4
The video game industry has increasingly adopted AI-powered rendering technologies in recent years. AI is not a catch-all solution, however, and is best used for improving already stable setups. In action titles like Borderlands 4, anyone not getting over 30fps would possibly find frame generation to hurt more than it helps due to the extra latency introduced, as input is still tied to the real underlying frame rate. In this particular instance, however, there isn't a single card on the market that supports frame generation (DLSS 3+) but wouldn't be able to get at least 30fps in Borderlands 4.
I'm sorry you don't like being told to use DLSS, but that is the way.
The complaints over Borderlands 4 PC performance have been affecting its Steam reviews. Valve's storefront currently classifies them as "Mixed," based on nearly 19,000 user impressions. Outside of performance criticism, the game has largely been lauded as fun and replayable, as underlined by its 84 average rating on OpenCritic.
Borderlands 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
- Released
- September 12, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
