Saber CEO Fires Back At Randy Pitchford For Borderlands 4’s Embracer Jabs

Saber Interactive’s Matt Karch has confirmed the digs directed towards Gearbox Studios boss Randy Pitchford in a Rideshare Stimulator trailer were deliberate.

A new trailer for Rideshare Stimulator includes several references to Pitchford, including an embarassing incident involving a lost USB stick, and Karch confirmed that they were made to directly respond to previous digs in Borderlands 4 directed toward Embracer.

Embracer was previously the parent company of both Gearbox and Saber, where Karch was on the board of directors, and he told Game File that, without Embracer, Pitchford would have been performing at birthday parties for a living.

“The dig is because Randy topok shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4. Without Embracer, Randy is performing magic tricks at birthday parties for a living.”

In the new trailer, a reference is made to both Randy Pitchford’s name, Gearbox, and an infamous story where Pitchford lost a USB drive containing sensitive data and pornographic material.

Dialogue in the trailer is heard saying “When I think I’ve met the randiest of passengers, someone even stranger gets in,” with a car then seen with a Texas license plate reading ‘USB DRV’, referencing the aforementioned USB drive and Gearbox’s Texas home.

Later on, another voice says, “Take a ride in my chariot, and I will take you to my castle,” referencing Pitchford’s purchase of the Magic Castle in Hollywood in 2022, which he still owns.

Meanwhile, the jabs directed at Embracer in Borderlands 4 come in the form of an area named Embracer’s Bluff, which features a large trash pile, a talking toilet, and a king mayor relaxing in a bath tub.

Embracer’s previously focused on heavy studio acquisition, a strategy that failed, and Karch is among those who has been criticized for the company’s previous approach due to his involvement.

Neither Gearbox or Saber are still connected to Embracer, with the former taken over by Take-Two, while Saber Interactive operates as its own company.

Rideshare Stimulator was revealed in July but there has yet to be an announcement on the official release date of the title, which is developed by UNIGINE.