Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford has admitted his long-term hopes for Epic were “misplaced or overly optimistic”, having previously predicted Steam could become a “dying store”.
For a bit of context, back in 2019, Pitchford wrote a lengthy post on social media discussing Gearbox’s decision to make Borderlands 3 on PC a timed Epic exclusive. At this time, the exec said he believed Epic’s “investment in technology will outpace Valve’s substantially”, and went on to suggest Steam could fizzle out and other store fronts would reign supreme.
Fast forward now to earlier this week, when Gearbox revealed Borderlands 4. The next series instalment is currently slated for a 2025 release across PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Epic and… Steam. Needless to say, this revelation has caused Pitchford’s earlier comments to resurface once again.
In response to one fellow X user who had mocked up a ‘How it started/How it’s going’ infographic highlighting Pitchford’s 2019 post above Borderlands 4’s Steam inclusion, the Gearbox head said he had “high hopes” for the Epic Games Store, but it had not “successfully pressed its advantage” in the time since.
Wrote Pitchford: “So, famously, Steam does very little to earn the massive cut they take and continues its effective monopoly in the West while would-be competitors with much more developer friendly models continue to shoot themselves in the foot.”
He added while he uses Steam himself, he will “continue to root for and support competition”. He also claimed that “customers show up for the games, not the store front”, as proven by the initial release of both Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands on Epic.
“But the industry gives Steam their monopoly because publishers are afraid to take the risk to support more developer and publisher friendly stores,” Pitchford continued. “It’s all very interesting and there is a huge amount of opportunity in the PC gaming space for retail disruption, but no one seems to be able to make it happen. As a Steam Deck customer and user, my bias for personal interest and convenience is fighting against my wish for a more developer friendly alternative on Windows PC.”
The developer went on to reiterate he had “high hopes for Epic”, but his long-term hopes regarding the storefront were “misplaced or overly optimistic”, calling this whole thing a “cool lesson” for him and others.
“Moving forward, we’ll continue to support Steam (as we have for literally every PC game we’ve launched since Steam came into existence),” he furthered. “Meanwhile, I sincerely hope Epic keeps up the fight and makes headway. Epic is going to have to prioritise the store and try some new initiatives while also doubling down on earning pivotal exclusives if it is going to have a chance.
“I also hope other viable competitors arrive. I am sure we will all be watching. As a developer I will continue to balance being where the customers are with being where I wished would earn the customers trust and loyalty.”
Rounding out his thoughts, Pitchford said: “As a game player, I will be on all the platforms.”
Epic first announced plans to take on Steam with a PC games store of its own back in 2018, boasting a 88/12 per cent revenue split in favour of developers, setting it apart from Valve.
The storefront continues to offer free games to its community, with this week both The Callisto Protocol and Gigantic: Rampage Edition currently on offer.
Elsewhere in Borderlands news, it looks like the recent Cate Blanchett- fronted film adaptation will be available to watch digitally later this month. Alas, the Borderlands (the movie) failed to ignite enthusiasm from critics on its debut, with one branding it a “huge misfire”. The adaptation then generated just $4m on its opening day, a disappointing result that looks set to result in the film becoming a commercial flop.