Publisher 2K has suddenly ended pre-orders for the PC version Gearbox’s upcoming game (and Epic Games Store exclusive) Borderlands 3.
In a statement given to Eurogamer over the weekend, 2K notes that it has removed the ability to pre-order the game on the Epic Games Store for the time being. While it doesn’t explicitly spell out the reason for doing so, 2K does mention it’s “working closely with Epic” in the wake of the decision.
The decision to pause pre-orders does come during the Epic Games Store’s first big sale event, however, an event that has already ruffled the feathers of several developers on the platform and caused some to pull their games for the duration of the sale.
The Epic Mega Sale launched last week with the promise of offering $10 off every single game on the store priced over $14.99. The bill for that discount is fully footed by Epic, so devs and publishers don’t see any less income from each individual sale, but many with games on the Epic Games Store aren’t happy with their games being devalued by a sudden deep discount.
2K’s statement doesn’t plainly say that the sale was the reason for the decision, but notes that the company is “working closely with Epic” and “[looks] forward to the game being back on the Epic Games Store soon. Games bought during their Mega Sale will be honored at that price.”
Other developers with upcoming releases have made similar calls as well. Publisher Paradox Interactive temporarily pulled its upcoming game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 from the store entirely last week, and Epic’s director of publishing later said the company wasn’t “properly informed” about the sale ahead of time. Klei Entertainment made a similar decision for its early access game Oxygen Not Included and opted to temporarily remove it from the Epic Games Store around the same time.