Saber CEO Admits ‘Dig’ at Gearbox Boss Randy Pitchford in New Game Trailer, Saying It’s Payback for ‘Shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4’
Saber Interactive CEO Matt Karch has confirmed that a recent trailer for the taxi simulation game Rideshare Stimulator deliberately mocks Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford, framing it as retaliation for jabs Gearbox made at former parent company Embracer in Borderlands 4. The public spat highlights lingering tension between executives whose studios were once both owned by Embracer, whose troubled acquisition strategy has left a fractured legacy across the games industry.
The Rideshare Stimulator trailer includes several pointed references, including a car with the licence plate "USB DRV" and a nod to the Magic Castle in Hollywood, which Pitchford owns, alluding to a widely reported incident in which he lost a USB stick containing pornographic material. Karch said the jibes were payback for "Embracer's Bluff", a location in Borderlands 4 seemingly mocking Embracer, and argued that without Embracer's backing, Pitchford would be reduced to performing magic tricks for a living. Gearbox is now owned by Take-Two, while Saber operates independently of Embracer, though Karch previously defended the conglomerate's much-criticised acquisition spree as well-intentioned.
- Saber CEO Matt Karch mocked Gearbox's Randy Pitchford in a game trailer
- It's payback for Borderlands 4 jokes aimed at former owner Embracer
- References include Pitchford's USB stick scandal and Magic Castle ownership
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Saber Interactive and Gearbox are video game studios. Saber was once part of Embracer Group, a Swedish company that bought many game businesses; Gearbox was also under Embracer before it was sold to Take-Two, the publisher behind Grand Theft Auto. Saber is now independent.
Matt Karch leads Saber, while Randy Pitchford runs Gearbox. The studios’ leaders have traded barbs linked to Borderlands 4, a game made by Gearbox, and to Embracer’s former ownership of both companies. Their remarks reflect tensions left by Embracer’s rapid expansion and later restructuring.
The trailer’s references draw on public stories about Pitchford, including his ownership of a Hollywood magic venue and a reported lost USB drive. The dispute matters because it shows how business changes and personal rivalries can spill into the marketing of games.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Gearbox initiated this public mockery by mocking Embracer with 'Embracer's Bluff' in Borderlands 4, so Saber's pointed response is justified retaliation. The trailer references are creative satirical jabs reflecting the games industry's long-standing tradition of playful rivalry between studios. Pitchford is a high-profile executive at a major company, and public figures should reasonably expect satirical responses when they publicly mock their competitors; proportional retaliation is fair game in this competitive landscape.
The case against
Public feuding between studio executives undermines industry professionalism, but the deeper concern is that these references deliberately invoke a documented personal incident rather than engaging in pure business satire. Whilst Gearbox initiated mockery of Embracer, responding by evoking someone's genuine humiliation and embarrassment goes beyond acceptable banter into something deliberately cruel and demeaning. Industry leaders should model professional conduct that breaks cycles of personal mockery rather than perpetuating them for public entertainment.