Borderlands Boss Randy Pitchford Says Gaming Is Only Getting Started — Our Citizen Kane, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars Are Still Ahead

Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford is out here saying the video game industry still hasn’t hit its full stride yet — even after the massive push behind Borderlands 4. The comparison he uses to make the point leans on a movie classic, because of course it does.

Pitchford’s big-picture take

"I love that we’re just getting started... we haven’t even had our Citizen Kane yet, let alone Jurassic Park or Star Wars. We’re just figuring this shit out. But it’s fun."

That’s Pitchford in Shacknews’ documentary '24 'Til Launch: The Making of Borderlands 4', talking about where he thinks games are in their evolution. In the same breath, he describes modern development as a high-stakes bet: budgets for the biggest games are now larger than blockbuster films, which makes greenlighting anything a nerve test. His gist: you only move forward when everyone involved believes the idea is worth more to the world than the mountain of time and money it will take to build. You need a clear picture of the work, belief you can actually do it, and a realistic sense of what it could be worth if you pull it off.

About that 'Citizen Kane of games' idea

Film folks love to toss around 'the Citizen Kane of X' as shorthand for 'the best ever' — even though the canon is a lot wider than one 1941 classic. Pick your poison: '12 Angry Men', 'Harakiri', or, if you live for chaos, 'The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie'. In games, people have tried to anoint their own 'Kane' for years: 'Ocarina of Time', 'Metal Gear Solid', 'Chrono Trigger', 'Super Mario 64'. Pitchford’s take is that we’re not there yet. In his view, the medium is still ramping up, not crowning its all-timer.

A quick timeline check

• The first feature film is generally pegged as 1906’s 'The Story of the Kelly Gang'. 'Citizen Kane' landed 35 years later in 1941.
• On the game side, 1958’s 'Tennis for Two' is often cited as the starting line for computer games. Fast-forward 35 years and you hit 1993 — the year 'Daytona USA' first showed up in Japanese arcades. If you’ve ever heard someone jokingly argue 'Daytona USA' is gaming’s 'Citizen Kane', that’s the nerdy math they’re doing.

Where this leaves Borderlands 4 right now

While Pitchford is talking big-picture future-of-the-medium stuff, the present is a little messier. Borderlands 4’s Halloween event is getting chewed up by players on forums and socials, with folks calling it a 'huge step down' and even one of the 'worst' content drops in the series. Not exactly the rousing seasonal glow-up you want while making the case that games are just getting started.

Big swings, bigger budgets, and the belief that the work is worth it — that’s Pitchford’s pitch. Whether the next 'Citizen Kane' moment hits in Pandora or somewhere else, the industry clearly thinks it’s still early days.