Randy Pitchford Posts Messages After Borderlands Attacks

The Borderlands movie is out, and in case you missed the news, he Really it sucksDespite Joshua Wolens’ concerns, it also looks set to be a box office flop, grossing only $8.8 million in its opening weekend in the United States ($16.5 million worldwide), which is not great for a film that cost around $150 million to produce.

It’s hard to draw anything positive from this outcome, but Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford found a silver lining.

So what you're saying is that you love what my friends and I are doing with our Borderlands video games even more than what some of the biggest and best actors and film crews on the planet are doing. I'm so flattered! We're working really hard on what's coming next for you... — (Photo credit: Randy Pitchford (Twitter))

“What you’re saying is that you love what my friends and I are doing with our Borderlands video games even more than what some of the biggest and best actors and film crews on the planet have done,” Pitchford said. tweeted over the weekend. “I’m super flattered! We’re working really hard on the sequel for you.”

(I guess “four” is not a spelling mistake but rather a play on words teasing the Borderlands 4 is almost confirmed.)

He repeated the sentiment in a reply-tweet a little later: “I’m really flattered that people say that my team and I do a better job of creating characters, telling stories and creating entertainment than this incredible team of some of the biggest and best directors on the planet. I’m super happy to live in that world.”

And again, with emotion:

I honestly don't think the movie

(Photo credit: Randy Pitchford (Twitter))

That’s certainly one way to look at it, and while it’s not one I would have considered, I have to admit that it has some validity, if you’re willing to squint and tilt your head a bit. Film and gaming are very different forms of media, and what works for one won’t necessarily translate well to the other. The plethora of bad movies based on games is proof enough of that: a paper-thin excuse to mindlessly blow stuff up might work great for a video game (see: Borderlands), but it probably won’t hold up for a few hours on the big screen (see: Borderlands).

Now, does Pitchford’s statement hold up as a defense of the Borderlands movie? Absolutely not. Director Eli Roth has said that he was inspired to make the film by watching his dog go to the bathroom (no, I’m not making this up) and I think the results reflect the truth of the story. It’s just a crappy movie, and there are probably plenty of things people would rather do: watching a dog drop a big, healthy Easter egg on the neighbor’s lawn, for example.

Pitchford rejected suggestions that an R rating, more typical of Roth’s work, rather than the PG-13 the film ultimately got, would have made a difference.

“I love the gore side of games, I’m actively working on it!” tweeted“But I can’t understand what mind needs that to analyze a story as “good,” as if it’s not possible to be “good” unless a dick or an organ comes out of a body because of violence or a bunch of “whores” are uttered. It’s a pretty absurd argument to me.”

I honestly try to imagine two movies that are identical in every way, but one shows brain matter or shows a dick or has a bunch of assholes in it and the other doesn't, and that's the difference between a good movie and a bad movie and I can't do it. I mean, I love gore in games - I'm actively working on it! But I can't figure out what mind needs that to analyze a story like

(Photo credit: Randy Pitchford (Twitter))

At the same time, he seemed to recognize in another tweet that the film wasn’t as good as it could have been, as scenes that would have given a clear insight into the character’s characterization and motivations ended up in the edit. “They were great scenes, but I think in post-production the editors, producers, and directors felt the pace needed to be kept fast,” Pitchford wrote in response to a user who said the characters in the film lacked depth compared to those in the games.

“I hope some of the deleted scenes can be released at some point. I think overall the decisions were the right ones given the elements they had to work with. But it’s interesting that there was an intention in the script and in what was shot to do what your gut said would have been nice to have. Making a movie is crazy.”

(Photo credit: Randy Pitchford (Twitter))

Does this mean we might have a Pitchford Cut to look forward to? Probably not. Echoing comments from Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick last weekPitchford said any financial losses from the film would be borne by the movie studio, not Gearbox: “So I’m not really affected by it, except that if the studio loses money, they might not want to make another movie.”

We can dream and all that, but given the inevitability of ticket sales dropping in the second weekend, I’m guessing the odds of Borderlands 2 coming out aren’t great. Probably for the best.