Claptrap Voice Actor Won’t Return for Borderlands 3 Because Gearbox Allegedly Wouldn’t Pay Him

Claptrap may have sounded like himself in the gameplay reveal for Borderlands 3, but Gearbox Software hired a different voice actor, Jim Foronda (Fairy Tail, Dragon Ball Super), for the bot’s excitable banter. That’s right, David Eddings will not return for the franchise’s newest installment, and the reason behind it is nothing short of disappointing. According to Eddings, Gearbox went in another direction once the actor asked to be paid for his services.

Eddings revealed the news when asked by a fan on Twitter to confirm whether he voiced Claptrap in Borderlands 3. He provided the following explanation:

No. For the first time, I insisted on getting paid for my performance and all of a sudden they couldn’t afford me. Now I’m not telling them how to run their business but maybe next time they should put the $12M payment from 2K in the Gearbox bank account instead. Just sayin’…

— David Eddings (@davideddings) May 2, 2019

Fortunately, he does not seem too rattled by the studio’s decision. In a subsequent tweet, Eddings explained that his departure from Gearbox “created at least three job opportunities for other people.” At present, it remains unclear as to what these job opportunities were. What’s also being kept under wraps is an explanation from Gearbox Software itself. At the time of writing, the company has yet to respond to Eddings’ claims.

Curiously, this instance does not serve as the first round of trouble circulating about Gearbox’s relationship with voice talent. There still exists a mound of confusion about why Troy Baker didn’t reprise the role of Rhys in Borderlands 3. Baker claims he was never contacted for the part. Meanwhile, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has alleged the actor turned the job down when approached.

Borderlands 3 will hit store shelves later this year for the PlayStation 4, PC, and Xbox One on September 13th.

[Source: David Eddings on Twitter]