Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford is currently trending on Twitter following a new report claiming that the company is underpaying employees’ promised bonuses for Borderlands 3’s development. The report has sparked outrage among gamers and developers alike, reigniting conversations about games industry working conditions.
The report, published by Kotaku, contained information that Gearbox had initially promised bonuses of potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, the company is only actually giving small bonuses to employees. Gearbox pays sub-standard salaries to its employees, with the idea being that the bonuses– which are based on a revenue-sharing model– will make up the deficit.
Pitchford, who allegedly received a secret $12 million bonus in 2016, was reported as saying that anyone unhappy with the bonus could quit, leading to further pushback against him, specifically.
Pitchford has found himself in the internet spotlight before, after a messy lawsuit alleged that he had physically assaulted Claptrap Voice Actor David Eddings. Additionally, Pitchford has been accused of leaving a USB flash drive at a Medieval Times, which was said to contain underage pornography. These sore points, coupled with the new report, have led to a large amount of backlash against Pitchford on Twitter, causing his name to appear under “Trending” within the gaming community.
Source: Twitter
