In an add-on to Borderlands 3 main characters Hammerlock and Wainwright get married.
Gearbox CCO Dan Hewitt relishes life in a gamers’ paradise
Rich Lopez | Contributing Writer
richlopezwrites@gmail.com
We’re told to do what we love and get paid for it, and we’ll never work a day in our lives. Dan Hewitt, 44, takes that to another level. Not only is he an avid player of video games, but as Gearbox Entertainment’s chief communication officer, he gets to talk about it all he wants.
And there is a lot to talk about.
“I basically talk about Gearbox and share our values and mission, which is to entertain the world,” he said by phone from Washington, D.C. “And our great entertainment brings joy and happiness to peoples’ lives.”
With popular titles such as Duke Nukem, Brothers in Arms, Homeworld and its flagship title, the Borderlands series, that entertainment takes shape in a number of ways among gaming fans.
But as an out executive at the Frisco-based Gearbox Entertainment, Hewitt has found a company that embraces diversity in all forms.
“This is an industry that is primarily known as a white, cisgendered male environment. Gearbox is flipping that script and showing that you can have an environment inclusive of men, women, gender nonbinary, trans — across the sepctrum,” he said. “[Founder] Randy Pitchford created — and continues to create — an environment where people can be authentic. If we are going to entertain the world, we need to be of the world and have opportunities for all types of team members.”
A scene in Borderlands 2
Hewitt joined the team in 2019, but it was in 2017 that he really took notice of Gearbox. At that time, Pitchford and the company were speaking out against the Texas bathroom bill, which would have regulated use of public bathrooms and barred Texans who identified as transgender from using facilities appropriate to their gender identities.
At the time, Hewitt was in the game industry already, working for a trade association. When he was approached about joining the Gearbox team, he said the decision was easy.
“I’ve known Randy for years, but I was so incredibly impressed by their stance back then, and they’re a leader in the industry. That they were inclusive and taking that position, working to make that broader community a more inclusive place — I knew that was a supportive and welcoming place to work,” Hewitt said.
A company that encourages representation and visibility also empowers its team, and Hewitt says that results in providing an outcome of world-class entertainment.
“To be part of a company using its medium as games and film to do that makes me feel incredibly lucky and I will always be thankful,” he said.
Gearbox has made headlines again recently by confronting anti-LGBTQ efforts in the Texas Legislature. Dallas Morning News’ May 20 headline almost says it all: “Frisco game development studio Gearbox says it’ll invest elsewhere if Texas passes anti-LGBTQ laws.”
Gearbox Chief Communication Officer Dan Hewitt
Senate Bill 29 was anti-trans legislation introduced this year that would have prohibited trans youth from joining gender-specific school sports teams aligning with gender identity. Also introduced in this more recent legislative session was SB 1131, which would have banned gender-reaffirming medical treatment for transgender youth.
The Gamer magazine reported in May that an employee group at Gearbox had begun a fundraiser to take on the issue.
From The Gamer:
“The Spark Team at Gearbox has added their voice to the fight, highlighting the growing list of anti-trans legislation in the state. The team’s goal sits at $10,000 USD for the National Center for Transgender Equality, and CEO Randy Pitchford has agreed to match up to $10,000 in donations. The GoFundMe currently sits at a bit more than half of its goal.”
In April, Gearbox executive David Najjab testified against Texas House Bill 4042, another piece of anti LGBTQ legislation, and the company signed a letter advocating for Texas to protect its LGBTQ population.
“This commitment to the LGBTQ-plus community is not a performance exercise. It’s not a corporate statement. We live and breathe that idea,” Hewitt stressed. “We have a number of diversity groups that are incredibly active, and I think that encourages people to think more broadly about the world.”
He assures, though, that Gearbox doesn’t want to leave Texas. Instead, the company wants to bring strong talent to the state. But if these anti-LGBTQ bills were to pass, that talent would likely go elsewhere.
“We were formed and founded in Texas,” Hewitt said. “We’re staffed by Texans and proud to be headquartered there.
When we see negative legislation, that hurts us in different ways. We worry about our team members and how it affects them on a daily basis.
“We want to have a state that attracts talent, and there are a lot of states out there looking to attract the tech and entertainment communities,” he added.
This year is looking to be a monumental one for Gearbox. In February, it was announced that the Embracer Group, parent company of businesses developing and publishing PC, console and mobile games for the global games market, completed its acquisition of Gearbox Software, which was seen as a good match.
“They have a history of giving their partners autonomy to allow them to do what they do best,” Hewitt said. “We create cutting-edge entertainment that no one else does, and their experience with other companies would enable Gearbox to grow and remain authentic.”
Gearbox is also collaborating with Lion’s Gate studios for a new film based on its signature Borderlands games, a first for the video game publisher.
“That’s being filmed right now in Budapest, and we have an incredible cast: Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis. I’m personally excited about Gina Gershon. Like, we have actors who are definitely not B-listers,” he said.
The game itself is currently on its third installment, and players will continue to find a showcase of diversity among the game’s characters.
“We have characters there who identify as gender nonbinary and gay, and we use ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns. That’s important. To the people playing our games, having themselves reflected in entertainment is powerful, and we take that incredibly seriously.”
In Borderlands 3, the studio released the add-on Guns, Love and Tentacles, which is totally gay.
“The entire premise behind it is the marriage of our two lead male characters, Hammerlock and Wainwright,” Hewitt said. “I think this is the first marriage in video games between two male characters, and from a major studio. That’s great. And that’s what you see when the team feels comfortable about pitching different ideas.”
Perhaps for most LGBTQ people, there is a crossroads of their career and their identity that eventually intersects. But in Hewitt’s case, there’s no need for one. He’s out, loves video games and he works for a premiere video game studio that fights for equality and diversity.
“When I first came out, my mom, who could not have been more supportive, told me not to be out at work. That it would limit my job opportunities, and now here I am — the chief communications officer of a global entertainment company,” he said. “That I can personally work at a place and be myself completely is a privilege for which I’m incredibly thankful.”
The video games don’t stop at the office. He’s lucky to have a husband who is also a gamer.
“Nothing is more fun than just playing games with him,” Hewitt said. “We’re both of a generation that played video games as kids. And you know, it’s not just a passive medium. Whether we engage with people in real life next to you or online, it fosters a social connection.”
For more about the Gearbox’s selection of games, visit gearboxsoftware.com.