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Gearbox underpaying staff their Borderlands 3 bonuses: Report

Gearbox is allegedly underpaying its staff promised Borderlands 3 bonuses, a new report from Kotaku suggests.

A total of six anonymous employees, speaking with Kotaku, allege that Gearbox promised six-figure bonuses following the launch of the highly successful Borderlands 3. The bonus payments were to have to come from a 60/40 profit sharing agreement that balances out the company’s below-average salaries.

While Gearbox didn’t address actual dollar amounts of bonus payments issued to employees, it told Kotaku that since its profit sharing arrangement began, “Gearbox talent has earned over $US100M in royalty bonuses above and beyond traditional compensation.”

“In the most recent pay period Gearbox talent enjoyed news that Borderlands 3, having earned revenue exceeding the largest investment ever made by the company into a single video game, had officially become a profitable video game and the talent at Gearbox that participates in the royalty bonus system has now earned their first royalty bonus on that profit,” Gearbox’s statement continues.

“Additionally, a forecast update was given to the talent at Gearbox that participates in the royalty bonus to set expectations for the coming quarters. Gearbox is a private company that does not issue forward looking statements to the public, but we do practice transparency within our own family.”

Borderlands 3 is available now on Windows PC, Xbox One and PS4.


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Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.