RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Beef between two high-profile video game industry CEOs has bubbled over into the public domain, via a trailer for new taxi simulation game Rideshare Stimulator .
Footage of the game includes several references to Borderlands boss Randy Pitchford, head of Gearbox Studios, and an embarrassing incident involving a USB stick that contained pornographic material.
And now, those references have been confirmed as a deliberate "dig" at Pitchford by Matt Karch, the boss of Rideshare Stimulator publisher Saber Interactive, as payback for "shots" fired at Embracer in Borderlands 4. (Embracer was previously the parent company of both Gearbox and Saber, and where Karch served on the board of directors.)
"The dig is because Randy took shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4," Karch told Game File . "Without Embracer, Randy is performing magic tricks at birthday parties for a living."
Those "shots" at Embaracer that Karch is referencing likely involve an in-game location within Borderlands 4 that is rather obviously named "Embracer's Bluff." A Kotaku report previously flagged the likely joke at Embracer's expense, and noted that the area featured a large trash pile, an AI-powered talking toilet, and a king mayor who can be found relaxing in a bath tub.
Karch's new trailer for Rideshare Stimulator, meanwhile, includes references to Randy Pitchford's name, Gearbox and that infamous USB drive.
"When I think I've met the randiest of passengers, someone even stranger gets in," a voiceover in the trailer states. Next, a car is seen with the Texas license plate "USB DRV" featuring a familiar-looking gear icon. "USB DRV" is an obvious reference to a USB drive, while Gearbox is of course based in Texas.
"Take a ride in my chariot, and I will take you to my castle," another voiceover then states. Pitchford famously bought the historic Magic Castle in Hollywood back in 2022, and still owns the magicians' club today.
Pitchford previously admitted that he'd left a USB stick containing confidential company information and a pornographic video in a Medieval Times restaurant. The USB drive was later handed back to Gearbox and its contents then became more widely known. Via an episode of the Piff Pod podcast, Pitchford said the video featured a "barely legal" model performing a sex act that he likened to a "f***ing magician." It was because of this, he said, that he'd downloaded the video to further examine the performer's technique.
In the years since, Gearbox was acquired by GTA and BioShock owner Take-Two, while Karch now runs Saber Interactive as a separate company. Despite the failure of Embracer's studio acquisition spree, Karch has previously defended the company's motives as having been well-intentioned.
"It’s amazing to me how fast people forget those who went above and beyond for them," Karch concluded. Clearly, several years later, some things haven't been forgotten, however.
In August last year, Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick admitted Pitchford could be a controversial figure, and even suggested some of his antics were deliberate, but ultimately he was a big fan. “I love Randy, first of all. Let me just say that on the record,” Zelnick told IGN . “And I love his big personality. I love his passion and he is one of the all time great game makers. He also can be controversial at times — sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. I still love him to death.”
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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