Gearbox CEO Addresses Borderlands 3 Claptrap Voice Actor Comments, Calls Eddings “Bitter,” “Disgruntled”

Earlier last week, the former voice of Claptrap – David Eddings – responded to fan inquiry about his lack of presence behind the iconic character during a recent Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal. According to Eddings, he said that he “insisted on getting paid” for his performance, which implies that he was not previously compensated for the additional job opportunities, and now Gearbox has responded. Unfortunately for both sides, it’s gotten even uglier. 

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford took to Twitter once more to address the statements made by the former employee. According to Pitchford, “Mr. Eddings was paid very handsomely during his employment. After his employment, he was made a relatively generous offer to reprise the role. Unfortunately, he turned that opportunity down. He was offered 2x scale — twice union rates. He refused the offer.”

He added, “He wanted it [the role] and reveled in it. The issue today is that Mr. Eddings is bitter and disgruntled about having been terminated. He was offered 2x scale, he refused. I don’t want him to do it unless he wants to do it, as motivation affects performance.”

At this time, Eddings hasn’t addressed the rebuttal, though he did mention in his earlier statement that it wasn’t all negative. He added, “You’re kind but please don’t be too sad,” when one fan mentioned that they were bummed that he wasn’t reprising his role. “In the end, my exit from GBX created at least three job opportunities for other people, so that’s a positive.” 

It seems that the two sides couldn’t be more different from each other, though it does bring up the familiar issue that came up when Troy Baker said he wasn’t invited to voice his returning character, even after Gearbox said they did. Good news for fans of Tiny Tina is that Ashly Burch is confirmed to be reprising her iconic role of Tiny Tina, but it is disheartening to see some of our favorites not joining the journey over issues that could not be resolved. 

As for the game itself, Borderlands 3 is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on September 13th. You can catch up on our previous coverage, including our own hands-on time with the game, right here.