Gearbox Game Director Maxime Babin took to LinkedIn to defend Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford. Allegations that Gearbox had underpaid promised royalty checks to its employees began to circulate online recently, leading to criticism of Pitchford. Pitchford has made the news frequently for a number of reasons, from the royalty checks to allegations of physical abuse against a former Borderlands voice actor.
In the post, Babin elaborates that Gearbox's royalty system is more "transparent, mathematical, and objective" than any other he has experienced. Additionally, Babin thanked Pitchford for his transparency on the issue, and explained that he respected Pitchford for breaking the bad news face-to-face with Gearbox's employees.
Initially, Gearbox had reportedly told employees to expect royalty checks ranging between tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, a report from Kotaku revealed that employees made nowhere near that amount. Babin addresses the checks directly in his post. "These projections were displayed as an act of transparency and never made into any promises," Babin's post reads, "Be cool."
Babin also elaborated that the studio had, in fact, received royalty checks and that more are on the way. Borderlands 3 has sold well, and with more DLC in the pipeline, sales will likely continue to grow over time. "It is particularly painful to have to discuss this at a time when millions of people outside the video game industry are struggling financially," Babin wrote.
Following news of the royalty checks breaking, the term "Randy Pitchford" began trending on Twitter, with many criticizing the CEO. Pitchford had allegedly received a multi-million dollar bonus check in 2016, which added additional fuel to the fire. In his post, Babin cites Pitchford giving up 30% of Gearbox to the employees. "I’m honestly surprised that this isn’t what’s making the news right now," a portion of the post reads.
Pitchford has earned a negative reputation among many members of the games industry. Former Claptrap Voice Actor David Eddings alleged that Pitchford had physically abused him, once again bringing Pitchford into a controversial spotlight. Pitchford himself has remained relatively silent on many of the incidents, though Gearbox has issued statements about many previous allegations.
Pitchford also reportedly left a USB flash drive containing Gearbox company secrets and pornography at a Medieval Times, another move that led to criticism of the CEO. "I want to share my deepest appreciation for Gearbox and – more specifically to my team in Quebec City," Babin's post concludes, "You guys are extremely talented and a joy to work with. I’m proud of everything we already accomplished and excited to see how we can entertain the world together. "
Source: LinkedIn
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