By Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford uses hate for fuel.
Pitchford is no stranger to negativity online, in part due to his own infamously unfiltered internet presence, but his perspective on the matter is relatively unique: Just like The Beatles, you just gotta let it be, and tell yourself, “I feel fine,” because all you need is love.
Talking to GamesRadar+, Pitchford admits not everything he’s made has been a huge hit with his fans. It’s important to note, though, that this interview was conducted during Gamescom 2025, before Borderlands 4 launched, so his comments have nothing to do with, uh, more recent controversial statements he’s made on social media.
In this case, Pitchford responds to a question about potential backlash to Borderlands 4’s pricing, which ended up being a more acceptable $70 than the $80 many feared. Regardless, he goes on a brief tangent where he seemingly compares his self-admitted inconsistent body of work to The Beatles, as one does. To be fair, he also compares it to a six-year-old’s fridge drawings.
“Everybody that’s ever done anything goes into it like, ‘I want to do the best job I can and try hard,’ whether you’re drawing a picture with crayons at six years old that’s going to go on the refrigerator, to being the Beatles and writing ‘Let It Be,’ you know.
And the truth is, I freaking love The Beatles,” Pitchford says. “But also, there’s some songs they’ve made that in my opinion – and this is just totally subjective – some of the stuff is unlistenable. So what do I want them to do because they made an unlistenable song? To me. ‘Never make music again?’ No, make more, because you might make another ‘Let It Be.'”
Whether or not Borderlands 4 is Gearbox’s “Let It Be,” Pitchford says he doesn’t let negative feedback get in the way of his creativity, arguing rightfully that hate is a form of passion, and that, generally, if someone is hating, they care to some degree.
“And so I just think we don’t worry about the hate,” he says. “That’s actually a different form of love. If someone’s commenting, they’re invested, man, they care. They’ve spent their time, because it takes time to post. It takes time to stop our day and get involved in something. So I use that as fuel. Let’s make more. And all of us should do that.”
There’s no telling how Pitchford’s comments might differ with the post-launch perspective of Borderlands 4 sitting a very respectable 84 on Metacritic, although it seems that no matter how well his games are received, he just can’t help responding to criticism. Maybe he should take his own advice and just, let it be.