Gamers were in for a rude awakening when Randy Pitchford stated that people who own Bulletstorm on PC would not receive free copies of Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition.
Bulletstorm, originally developed by Epic Games, is a stylish first person shooter released in 2011 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The game set itself apart from other FPS games with a “skillshot” system that rewards players with points for creative kills. These points can be used to purchase new weapons, ammunition, or upgrades. Players receive points if they kill enemies in mundane fashions (i.e., headshots), but far more points are awarded if, for example, a player kicks an enemy chained to live grenades into an explosive barrel that sends nearby enemies into spiked walls. Despite the game’s popularity, it has never seen a sequel.
Gearbox, makers of Borderlands, announced the remastered version of Bulletstorm, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, during the 2016 Game Awards. The trailer promised 4k resolution support, new score challenge maps, and the ability to play as Duke Nukem.
When asked if gamers who own Bullestorm would receive free copies of the remastered version, CEO of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford stated, “Not possible – completely different publisher, era, platform (they were Games for Windows only), product/sku, etc.” This response was a gut punch to many gamers, as other high profile remasters, including BioShock, Skyrim, and the recently released Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, were gifted to PC gamers who had the original game in their Steam libraries.
Many people in the tweet’s comment section cited Darksiders: Warmastered Edition as an example of a game that was remastered and released by a different publisher for a different platform. Pitchford responded by stating, “Nordic bought entire rights past-future from a defunct publisher,” and, “[Gearbox is] just publishing someone else’s game.” Sadly, the comment section of the tweet has since devolved into disgruntled gamers venting their frustration and calling Pitchford a liar.
Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition is planned to release April 7, 2017.