There’s been a small drama slowly unfolding around Borderlands 3 in recent times, centered on the fact that voice actor Troy Baker was not brought back to voice Rhys in Borderlands 3. That drama heated up some this week when Baker opened up on why it happened, which has led to Gearbox Software to offer its own thoughts on the matter.
It took many Borderlands fans by surprise to find out that Gearbox was getting someone else to do the character’s voice, especially since Baker seemed eager to resume the role. For months the exact reasons for this was unclear. Then came some much-sought clarity recently when Baker explained the reason why he wasn’t in Borderlands 3 was because Gearbox “wouldn’t go union,” effectively locking him, a union actor, out of consideration. As he put it, “they made it impossible for me to do the role… They just simply would not go about doing it the way that we needed it to be done. So then it was like, I never said no.”
That’s a rather serious accusation, as laws in the state of Texas, where Borderlands 3's developer Gearbox is based, are meant to prevent that exact thing. This was a fact that Gearbox brought to bear in an official statement sent to IGN denying Baker’s allegations. The full statement is as follows:
"Troy is an exceptional talent and we were disappointed that he declined to partner on Borderlands 3 after being offered the part. We wish him the best and hope he knows the offer to collaborate with him still stands. Gearbox is a Texas company and is bound by Texas law – which means that a person cannot be denied employment because of membership or non-membership in a labor union or other labor organization. As a talent-owned and talent-led organization, Gearbox enthusiastically works to ensure our pay and working conditions meet or exceed union standards. We also believe strongly in hiring local voice actors whenever we can which is why we're thrilled Troy's career really took off after working with us."
This is just the latest in the strange back-and-forth that has taken place between Baker and Gearbox over him not voicing Rhys in Borderlands 3. It started when Baker accused Gearbox of recasting characters “willy-nilly” at the cost of continuity, to which Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford replied by claiming that the studio was all ready to hire him again, but it was him who declined the invitation.
It’s clear both sides are continuing to paint very different pictures of what went down, and no one seems willing to come clean with what actually happened. The fact is, Troy Baker’s involvement in the Borderlands series remains just voicing Rhys in the Telltale spinoff Tales from the Borderlands, and we don’t truly know why that’s the case.
Borderlands 3 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Google Stadia version to follow at some point.
Source: IGN