Randy Pitchford needs no real introduction. The co-founder and CEO of Gearbox Software, he's been the face of the game studio behind titles like Borderlands and Battleborn. However, it hasn't all been smooth sailing under Pitchford's gaze. He tends to get himself into trouble, and he's done so many times over the years. Pitchford's knack for trouble has tarnished the reputation of the company he helms.A great example of this can be found in "The Medieval Times Incident." Former general counsel for the company, Wade Callender, sued Gearbox in 2019, alleging that Pitchford left a USB drive at the restaurant that contained sensitive company data, as well as child pornography. On top of that, it was alleged there had been a $12 million bonus from parent company Take-Two meant for Borderlands 2 that Pitchford instead pocketed. The lawsuit was dismissed in October 2019, accompanied by a statement that the evidence exonerated Pitchford of the allegations against him.
Of course, there's also the woeful tale of Aliens: Colonial Marines. In order to complete the game on time, Sega hired Gearbox to help cross the finish line. The game that was released was nothing like what had been promised, leaving many fans sorely disappointed in what was ultimately a critical and commercial flop. That sadness turned to anger when an anonymous whistleblower claimed Pitchford siphoned money that Sega gave to his company, and used it to help fund the Borderlands team.Even the recent Borderlands 3 isn't immune from Pitchford's penchant for getting the company in hot water with fans. During development, it came out that Clap-Trap voice actor Dave Eddings would no longer be voicing the chatty little robot. Pitchford himself took to Twitter to say it was a mutual decision, but things changed when Eddings spoke up, revealing he refused because he wasn't being paid for the performance.
In addition to the pay dispute, Eddings stated the Gearbox CEO had physically assaulted him at GDC 2017. Pitchford responded on Twitter to defend himself, saying Eddings was just bitter about having been terminated and that the actor had refused the compensation they offered.
Pitchford also has been involved in controversy with the financial aspect of Gearbox. The company uses profit-sharing, in which employees are paid the absolute minimum, but receive massive payouts when the game ships and copies are sold. Normally, because Gearbox games sell quite well, that works fine. However, Borderlands 3 was both more expensive to make and apparently sold less than was projected. Gearbox has previously told employees to be prepared to receive a payout in the tune of six figures, but realized later that wasn't going to be likely. Pitchford told employees they were welcome to leave the company if they didn't like this situation.
Pitchford got the company in hot water over Duke Nukem 3D as well. Bobby Prince, who made the music for games such as Doom and Wolfenstein 3D, also made the music for Duke Nukem 3D and had a royalty deal that said he receive one dollar for every sale of the game. When Gearbox acquired the rights and made the 20th Anniversary edition, Prince never saw a single cent off the game, and promptly sued the company for unpaid royalties. Prince showed that the electronic files for the music showed the copyright belonging to him. Pitchford said he would take care of the payment, with Gearbox later suing 3D Realms for not saying the music was included in the sale.
Randy Pitchford is a controversy magnet, who has regularly found himself or the company in dubious positions. Whether that be payment issues, Twitter feuds or misappropriating funds, the man can't get away from trouble. He has made people suspicious about what goes on at Gearbox, and clearly, Pitchford tarnished the reputation that the company has among players.