Borderlands 4 Sales 'A Little Bit Soft' Due to PC Technical Issues, Take-Two Boss Says, but He's Confident It Will Catch Up

Take-Two Interactive's CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged initial "softness" in U.S. sales for Borderlands 4 due to technical issues at launch, but expressed confidence in a rebound as post-launch updates address performance. Despite mixed user reviews, the game demonstrated strong underlying demand, achieving record concurrent players, high critical praise, and notably, became the top-selling premium game of September 2025 by revenue, marking the highest launch month dollar sales in franchise history, suggesting robust long-term sales potential.

Analysis

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged initial "softness" in Borderlands 4's U.S. sales, attributed to technical issues at launch. Despite this, management maintains an optimistic outlook, expressing confidence that post-launch updates will facilitate a full rebound in sales over time. This perspective is supported by the game's high critical praise and record-breaking concurrent player counts on Steam, indicating strong underlying demand.

The title demonstrated significant market engagement, dominating YouTube with 30 million views and securing the #1 spot on Twitch during its launch period. However, user sentiment was negatively impacted by performance issues across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox, resulting in a "Mixed" rating on Steam and a 4.5/10 Metacritic user score. Gearbox has since released updates to address these optimization and performance challenges.

Despite the technical setbacks and mixed user reviews, Borderlands 4 was the top-selling premium game of September 2025 and the third best-selling game of 2025 by revenue, according to Circana. Critically, it achieved the highest launch month dollar sales in franchise history, underscoring robust initial monetization and potential for strong lifetime unit sales as technical issues are resolved and post-launch content is released.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Monitor TTWO's upcoming financial reports for specific sales figures and management commentary on Borderlands 4's continued performance and the impact of post-launch updates.
• Evaluate the trajectory of user sentiment and player engagement metrics following recent patches, as sustained improvement could drive long-term sales and reduce reputational risk.
• Consider the potential for strong long-tail revenue generation from Borderlands 4, given its record-breaking initial dollar sales and planned DLC, which could offset initial launch softness.