After Borderlands 4 price comment backlash and a smoldering review bombing, series fans turn a new offer of golden keys from Randy Pitchford into the latest theater: "Surprised the code wasn't 'for the true fans'"

There's plenty to be excited about when it comes to Borderlands 4, but the upcoming looter shooter hasn't had the best few weeks as far as fans are concerned thanks to a couple of controversies, and not even in-game freebies have been able to calm people down.

From Mario Kart World to certain unnamed first-party Xbox games coming in the future, one thing is clear – $80 games are becoming a thing whether you like it or not, and for obvious reasons, not a lot of people like it. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford recently got a lot of backlash after he responded to one fan concerned that Borderlands 4 would have this price tag, too, suggesting that "if you're a real fan, you'll find a way to make it happen."

Although he since clarified that "it was not my intent" to make fans feel like they were being taken for granted, the weird vibes around Borderlands weren't helped by the dwindling but ongoing Steam review bombing of other games in the series.

Basically, it was recently highlighted that, upon loading up the likes of Borderlands 2, players were asked to agree to updated Terms of Service and a privacy policy from Take-Two Interactive that had some worried about ownership and their privacy when it came to the collection of personal information.

While it's worth noting that some have suggested that the latest Terms of Service agreement isn't all that different to the previous one – with some worried fans potentially overreacting a bit – that's not stopped the negative reviews from pouring in, with Borderlands 1 through 3 all sitting with "mostly negative" recent review ratings on Steam.

And, needless to say, it doesn't seem like any of this is blowing over any time soon. Just before the weekend, Pitchford took to Twitter to share a "free SHiFT code for loot keys" in any and all Borderlands games, offering three Golden Keys so you can get your hands on some extra loot. While a nice bonus, and one Pitchford hands out regularly, the responses are full of people continuing to air their grievances.

"Honestly surprised the code wasn't 'for the true fans,'" one writes, referencing the controversial price comment. Another says: "You sure you don't want the keys to be 80 dollars, too? We'll find a way to make it happen!"

Meanwhile, there are still plenty of complaints about those updated terms of service, with one calling them "unacceptable," and another saying it "crosses the line." Granted, that ball is likely in Take-Two's court.

More generally, one simply states: "We done with Borderlands y'all."

We'll have to see if all this passes by the time Borderlands 4 releases in September. In the meantime, Pitchford's latest SHiFT code (which is SR633-TXCRT-BTJBB-JJJJ3-K3BSC) is set to expire on May 29 at 9am PT/ 12pm ET / 5pm GMT, so be sure to enter it before then if you do want to use it.

Borderlands 4 boss Randy Pitchford responds to "real fans" backlash by doubling down on the fact he doesn't set the price: "If you want the truth, here it is."