Gearbox has delayed the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4 for what seems to be a considerable amount of time, in order to add more ‘polish’.
Borderlands 4 may have released earlier this month to largely positive reviews, but post-launch it’s faced some serious problems.
Despite a flurry of patches on PC, the looter shooter is still marred with performance issues across all formats. Earlier this month, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford started blaming people’s PC set-up for the problems, while going to increasingly manic lengths to deny there were any serious issues in the first place.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and developer Gearbox has indefinitely delayed the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4, which suggests it was an even bigger mess. On top of that, it was supposed to be out on October 3, so fans are only getting nine days warning.
‘We need to share that the release of Borderlands 4 on Nintendo Switch 2 is being delayed,’ a post from the Borderlands account on X reads. ‘We do not take this decision lightly, but are committed to ensuring we deliver the best possible experience to our fans, and the game needs additional development and polish time to do that.’
While Gearbox doesn’t specify what this ‘polish’ encompasses exactly, the studio hopes to ‘better align’ the release of the Switch 2 version with the addition of cross-save support across all platforms.
‘Our hope is to also better align this release with the addition of cross-saves, which we are working on and recognise is very important,’ they added. ‘We will update you all on the new release timing once we’ve fully adjusted our plans.’
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In accordance with Nintendo’s policy, all digital pre-orders of Borderlands 4 on Switch 2 have been cancelled. For those who have pre-ordered the title, cancellations will be rolled out automatically starting from Friday September 26, or you can start the process manually here. Those who have pre-ordered a physical copy can claim a refund via the retailer.
Considering the poor performance across the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC versions of Borderlands 4, this delay isn’t exactly surprising – with the less powerful Switch 2 hardware under even more strain to run the game well.
While there have been patches to address issues on PC, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions are yet to receive the same treatment. Borderlands 4 creative director Graeme Timmins has recently promised a console patch is on the way though, explaining how they take longer to roll out because they require certification from Microsoft and Sony.
‘Console testing and certification is more involved than pushing out PC builds,’ Timmins wrote on X. ‘It just takes longer with first parties making sure we’re sending out good quality patches. It’s coming and we’re doing everything we can to make it happen quickly.’
Pitchford, who has been keen to blame the technical issues on everything else apart from the game, hasn’t commented on the Switch 2 delay yet.
However, he has been flaunting his involvement in the upcoming magic movie sequel, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. If you wanted an extra reason to avoid that.
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