There is no doubt that Borderlands 3 appeared to be an incredibly popular game throughout the year, but the extent of its popularity may be shocking for many people. For those who may have forgotten the controversy, it revolves around Epic Games Store exclusivity, as so many PC gaming crises do these days. When the game was first revealed, Gearbox and 2K said that it would be an Epic Games Store exclusive to start, not launching on more established stores like Steam until sometime in 2020.
As you might imagine, this led to a huge outcry from fans who would prefer to purchase the game through the popular gaming platform, Steam, but it seems that when it comes to sales numbers, that Epic exclusivity didn’t have a major impact. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the game would have sold many more copies had it launched on Steam as well as the Epic Games Store, but 2K probably isn’t losing any sleep over that given the numbers it reported recently.
2K recently confirmed that the game managed to sell-in more than 5 million units during its first five days of availability, which means that Borderlands 3 sales represent a 50% increase over Borderlands 2 sales during the same post-launch period. 70% of consumers purchased the game digitally, and Borderlands 3 also has the distinction of being the most pre-ordered game in 2K history.
In a press release, 2K specifically said, “PC sales of the title through the Epic Games Store have been incredibly strong,” so that seemingly proves the idea that games with brand recognition can still clean up with Epic Games Store exclusivity. We’ll see if Borderlands 3 can keep this momentum up, but even less than two weeks out from release, it’s clear that it’s already a success.
That’s not all. 2K also says that it “broke pre-order records with the Epic Games Store.” Not too shabby for a game that received a lot of backlash at launch.
The decision to make Borderlands 3 exclusive to Epic Games Store on PC definitely ruffled a few feathers, especially with Steam users. However, it seems that hasn’t stopped fans from purchasing the title. The latest Borderlands game is indeed performing swimmingly on PC, and everyone is playing it even without sales on Steam.
According to GameSpot, at its launch, Borderlands 3 also claimed the lofty spot as the most-watched game on Twitch. It has since generated more than 14 million hours of content – that’s more than half of what Borderlands 2 generated in the past seven or so years.
Its record-breaking sales has now pushed the Borderlands franchise to that $1 billion mark, which makes it the second franchise to do so in 2K history.
Borderlands 3 has done a pretty good job of launching the franchise back to the front of the loot-shooter pack. Though it’s a lot more of the same Borderlands you’d expect, it seems that’s what some people are looking for. That doesn’t mean Gearbox’s gun-stravaganza hasn’t adapted to the times, though; there are already limited time events planned for post-launch. One thing is for sure though, the Borderlands team has big expectations for the next release.
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