What you need to know
- The robot Claptrap in Borderlands 3 isn't voiced by the same actor as the past two games.
- The voice actor claims that he wasn't compensated by Gearbox Software.
- He also claims that studio head Randy Pitchford assaulted him.
- Borderlands 3 is available for $60 through the Microsoft Store (opens in new tab).
Updated May 6, 2019: According to Gearbox Software's Randy Pitchford, David Eddings was offered twice the amount and other benefits but he refused. Pitchford went on to say that Eddings was a "disgruntled" employee that was maligning the project. However, Eddings responds by saying that Pitchford assaulted him and that he was never paid royalties. The original story follows.
I ultimately offered to do it for “free” in exchange for past royalties owed plus an apology for something I’ve never spoken about publicly until now: Randy physically assaulted me in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis at GDC 2017.I ultimately offered to do it for “free” in exchange for past royalties owed plus an apology for something I’ve never spoken about publicly until now: Randy physically assaulted me in the lobby of the Marriott Marquis at GDC 2017.— David Eddings (@davideddings) May 7, 2019May 7, 2019
A few days ago, developer Gearbox Software livestreamed 45 minutes of Borderlands 3 footage. While we got a taste of the gameplay and story, some gamers expressed concern that the lovable — and incredibly irritating — robot Claptrap didn't quite sound the same. It turns out that the same voice actor isn't reprising his role due to payment issues.
On Twitter, David Eddings confirmed that he wasn't a part of Borderlands 3. He added, "For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn't afford me... maybe next time they should put the $12 million payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead." It's unclear what Eddings means by the $12 million payment from 2K, but it could be a reference to paying voice actors.
No. For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn't afford me. Now I'm not telling them how to run their business but maybe next time they should put the $12M payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead. Just sayin'...No. For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn't afford me. Now I'm not telling them how to run their business but maybe next time they should put the $12M payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead. Just sayin'...— David Eddings (@davideddings) May 2, 2019May 2, 2019
Claptrap plays a major part in all of the Borderlands games, and there are a lot of lines. If he wasn't paid for his performance for the first couple of titles, that's definitely an unfair practice. However, keep in mind that Gearbox hasn't responded to this as of yet so we don't know the whole story. Keep an open mind until we know more about the situation.
On a more positive note, the team revealed that Borderlands 3 wouldn't feature pay-to-win microtransactions — but there would be cosmetic add-ons — and run at 4K resolution on Xbox One X. Luckily, if you prefer playing at 60 frames per second, there's going to be a "favor performance" option which decreases the resolution.
Pandora and beyond
Borderlands 3 is an absurdly fun loot 'n shooter, filled with raunchy comedy and plenty of action. It features over-the-top weapons and a story which takes you to various planets. The game launches in September, but you can preorder it right now.
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