Last week, the Epic Games Store took a break from throwing money directly at publishers and decided to use some of that Fortnite cash to pass on savings to consumers. The initial idea sounded pretty good, with Epic Games funding a £10 discount for any game over £14, including titles available for pre-order. We already saw two publishers pull out of this deal, and now 2K has joined those ranks, halting pre-orders for Borderlands 3 on the Epic Games Store.
This blanket discount was completely funded by Epic Games, so publishers would not be missing out on revenue. Still, we saw Vampire: The Masquerade- Bloodlines 2 and Oxygen Not Included pulled from sale to avoid the discount. In the case of Vampire, the reasoning seemed clear, as that game is not due for release until early 2020.
Borderlands 3 remained available to pre-order with the discount included for a little bit longer. Eventually, the discount was removed and now, 2K Games has pulled the game from the Epic Games Store for the rest of the sale.
Borderlands 3 will be launching in September and will remain an Epic Games Store exclusive until March 2020. Any pre-orders made while the discount was active will be honoured. As soon as the Epic Games Store sale is over, Borderlands 3 will be back up for pre-order.
KitGuru Says: This discount seemed like a win-win situation for everyone, as Epic was footing the bill. Still, it looks like some major publishers see it differently and would rather force early buyers to pay full price than mess with the ‘perceived value’ of their product.