Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford is not happy with the media’s portrayal of the Borderlands 3 royalty controversy. After getting a shoutout from Cards Against Humanity creator Max Temkin, he responded to several negative tweets in a thread, calling the recent Gearbox royalty controversy “tabloid clickbait.”
If you’re out of the loop, here’s what went down: a few weeks ago, anonymous Gearbox employees alleged that they did not receive a royalty payment for Borderlands 3. While Gearbox Software reportedly pays less than comparable companies, they are said to make up for the difference with royalty payments based on a game’s performance.
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Previously, these profit-based royalty checks were reported to be quite lucrative. However, the most recent batch of checks did not go out according to these anonymous sources, ultimately citing a publishing agreement with 2K that required an advance on the game’s production budget to be paid back first.
Understandably, these anonymous employees were upset at missing out on the checks. The resultant fallout has caused a lot of furor online, but it seems that Pitchford has had enough with the reporting of the Gearbox royalty controversy.
A positive tweet from Cards Against Humanity creator Max Temkin ultimately resulted in several people sharing various articles on the controversy in the replies, prompting Pitchford to respond.
“This is really kind of you, Max,” Pitchford stated. “My trolls will now descend upon you. Thanks, tabloids!”
This is really kind of you, Max. My trolls will now descend upon you. Thanks, tabloids! https://t.co/OCEjsc11qY
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) April 15, 2020
He later replied to a couple of other tweets, calling Kotaku “tabloid clickbait” in one such response. A subsequent reply concisely explains the issues he has.
“So the 3 Gearbox employees who have confirmed the story are lying?” inquired @deadlyvirus.
“Who do you speak of?” Mr. Pitchford began. “The article claims anonymous sources and mentions three only in a sentence that confirms that a meeting took place. Two sources confirming a meeting are the statement from Gearbox and the PR person who delivered it. It’s the tabloid narrative that is a lie.”
“You should ask yourself why it is important to you to believe the tabloid story?” Randy Pitchford continued. “Why is the anonymous source more credible to you than an actual, verifiable source? Why do you *want* to believe the worst instead of trying to challenge yourself to instead care about the truth?”
Anonymous sources are an unfortunate necessity when it comes to reporting on confidential information, given the potential repercussions it could have on the individuals who speak out. Claptrap’s voice actor certainly had his fair share of problems with the company (which later prompted Gearbox to respond), so there’s an example of a former Gearbox staff member going on record against the company, even if it’s not related to this issue.
