Borderlands 3 pre-orders stopped during Epic Games Store Mega Sale

2K have pulled Borderlands 3 from the Epic Games Store for the duration of the platform’s Mega Sale, making it the third title to be removed during the promotion.

Last week two other titles were removed from the Epic Games Store by their respective publishers too, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, and Oxygen Not Included. Oxygen Not Included has only recently left the alpha testing phase of early access, while Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is currently only available for pre-order.

The Epic Games Store Mega Sale discounts all games normally priced $14.99 or above by $10. The discount doesn’t come out of the developer or publisher cut from the sale, because Epic are fronting the discount in an unprecedented move for digital storefronts.

While no reasons have been given for the removal of all three of these titles from the Epic Games Store, a spokesperson for 2K told Eurogamer that Borderlands 3 will return after the sale. They added that any purchases made while the discount was live will be honoured.

Borderlands 3 is a highly-anticipated game, available across all major platforms. It’s possible that 2K Games want to treat all potential players fairly by only offering the game at its full price, regardless of whether their revenue is hit by Epic’s Mega Sale.

It’s possible that the developers and publishers of these games weren’t aware of the situation regarding the discounts Epic are offering for their games. A company might be unhappy about their games suddenly being sold for far less than expected, regardless of the revenue share with Epic.

Borderlands 3 will be an exclusive to the Epic Games Store until 2020, while Oxygen Not Included and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines won’t be. The face that all three games were subject to discounts prior to their removal shows that there is no stipulation on exclusive games having discounts over non-exclusives.

The Epic Games Store Mega Sale will entice many consumers who wouldn’t normally purchase a title into buying it because of the $10 discount. The fact that Epic are eating the discounts and providing developers and publishers with their full cut shows an attitude that puts the creators first.