According to Forbes, Borderlands 4’s first Bounty Pack launched on November 20 as free content for all players despite originally being planned as paid DLC included in the year of content pass. The pack featured holiday-themed story content, a new boss, and a Vault Card with 24 cosmetics and re-rollable Legendary Gear. Despite the free release, player counts remained essentially flat during the following weekend compared to previous weeks. The game has seen significant player decline since its peak of 300,000 players earlier in 2025, though it generated more dollar sales than any game in franchise history. Gearbox is planning additional free content including an Invincible boss in December and a true expansion called Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned featuring a new Vault Hunter.
When Free Isn’t Enough
Here’s the thing that really stands out: Gearbox literally took content people were supposed to pay for and gave it away for free. And nothing happened. The player charts basically flatlined. That’s pretty concerning when you think about it – even free stuff couldn’t pull people back in.
Now, there are some obvious factors at play here. The gaming landscape in late 2025 is absolutely packed with competition like ARC Raiders and Black Ops 7. Plus, the Bounty Pack itself got pretty lukewarm reception – people basically said “it’s okay” rather than being blown away. When your free content is just “meh,” why would anyone rush to download it?
The Live Service Identity Crisis
This whole situation highlights Borderlands 4’s weird positioning in the market. The developers keep saying it’s not a live service game, but look at what they’re actually doing: weekly resets, rotating activities, holiday events, and this constant drip-feed of content packs. Basically, it walks and talks like a live service game while insisting it’s something else.
And that creates a real problem for player expectations. If people don’t see it as a game they need to keep playing regularly, they’re not going to come back for every little update. Even free ones. The Steam charts tell the story pretty clearly – players finished the campaign and moved on.
What’s Coming That Might Actually Move the Needle
So what could actually get people to return? The December Invincible boss might help since it’s described as “true endgame content.” But the real test comes with Mad Ellie and the Vault of the Damned expansion, which will introduce the first new Vault Hunter since The Pre-Sequel. That’s the kind of substantial content that could actually justify a return visit for lapsed players.
Gearbox seems to recognize the issue too – they’ve already announced they’re adding a fifth Bounty Pack so they don’t “devalue what players have purchased.” Smart move, but it also shows they’re worried about maintaining perceived value in their content ecosystem.
The Bigger Picture Success Story
Let’s be fair though – calling Borderlands 4 anything but a commercial success would be ridiculous. It sold more in dollar terms than any Borderlands game ever, partly because it launched on Steam instead of being Epic-exclusive like BL3. The “sold half of BL3” claims don’t match the revenue reality.
The real question is whether Gearbox can maintain engagement long enough to sell those future story packs and expansions. If free content can’t move the needle, will paid content do any better? We’ll find out soon enough when that December Invincible boss drops. Follow Paul Tassi on Twitter or subscribe to his YouTube channel for more gaming analysis.
