Randy Pitchford, CEO of the parent software house of Borderlands, Gearbox, was put at loggerheads as some employees of the company did not receive the promised bonuses after the development of the latest installment of the studio's most popular series. Also Cory Barlog he decided to have his say about it, using social media as a means of communication Twitter.
It's shitty behavior to hold other people accountable for actions you've done.
Certainly Barlog knows what it means to be in charge of something, and therefore have a certain responsibility on your shoulders. Recall that he is the lead writer for the video game series God of War, developed by SIE Santa Monica Studio.
According to an article by Kotaku, some employees reported what Pitchford said during a meeting regarding the success of Borderlands 3. at the sales level between 2019 and 2020.
It was pointed out that Gearbox paid very little than it should have regarding the salary of the developers. To put a piece of it, the company has decided to confer gods bonus (many software houses use this method) and it is something that seems to have kept Gearbox afloat for a long time. These bonuses had only one condition: Bordelands 3 sales had to be high. As we all know, the sales of the video game have been anything but low, exceeding the expectations of the company.
The fact is that internal sources have made it known that they were really surprised when they were informed that their bonus would not have been that. promesso. And what troubles God of War's creative director is exactly the way in which Gearbox handled the news: the CEO would in fact have said "If they are not happy with the loyalty system, they are free to leave".
Obviously give the option to leave during this time not exactly the best, given how difficult it would be for the developer to find work due to the ongoing pandemic caused by COVID-19. The choice of these words meant that the CEO and Gearbox itself suffered the backlash, since not only Cory Barlog is talking about this method on social networks definitely questionable.
NEWS: Gearbox, developer of Borderlands, pays below-market wages. To make up for that, the studio offers profit-sharing and promised staff five- and six-figure bonuses for BL3.
Until yesterday, when CEO Randy Pitchford told staff that wasn't happening: https://t.co/BRoRPyV3Hc
- Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 1, 2020
