Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford is "a little nervous" about Borderlands 4 because it can be harder than previous games and not everyone wants a big challenge

Some sections of Borderlands 4 will challenge players more than anything previously seen in the series, Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford reckons, which has him a little nervous since some folks just want to chill out and shoot dudes without sweating.

Speaking with Insider Gaming, Pitchford affirms that "we definitely have pushed the challenge quite a lot" with Borderlands 4 and "a lot of players are going to be surprised that the challenge has ramped up quite a bit." He softly dismisses any Soulslike comparisons, and is quick to say "I'm a little nervous because there are points of Borderlands 4 that are a little more challenging," with a nod to boss battle mechanics specifically.

Pitchford acknowledges that "we have lots of players that actually aren't interested in deep, hard challenges. Lots of people that love just exploring the borderlands, or spending time with the characters. They fall in love with the places and the characters and they want to spend time with them."

He hopes the players who do enjoy some friction and pushback in their games will find these challenge bumps gratifying, and leans on the RPG bones of Borderlands as a solution for everyone. If you find that you're on the ass end of an ass kicking, you can always grind out some more levels and stronger guns and then come back to steal a boss's lunch money with ease.

"Things that were hard when you were, you know, a little chump become trivial when you become a badass," Pitchford says of the 'grind it out' approach. "And that ability to get godlike growth, I think, is helpful for that challenge loop."

While we're on the subject, it's worth remembering that Borderlands 4's co-op lobbies have instanced difficulty settings, meaning everyone can set their own level of challenge independently. You can always call in a buddy for backup, though.

For the true grinders among us, the loot goblins who are to loot goblins what loot goblins are to normal people, Pitchford teases ambitious post-launch and endgame plans offering the best loot around. He says the team has "started working on" some of those plans already.

We spoke to Pitchford at Gamescom about the long road to get to Borderlands 4. He said the original game "ushered in a whole new genre" of looter shooters, and imitators get it wrong when they "twist it too far."

Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford says "I think they could charge $200" for Borderlands 4, "you can't find a better value in the world for any type of entertainment," then adds: "I wish they'd give it away, because then everyone would play it."