Article Update
update on 05/21/2019
It has been confirmed that Jim Foronda is also the voice of Claptrap in Borderlands 3. From what I have heard he is doing an awesome job. While there are always folks that prefer the original voice actor for a character, I must say that I didn’t hear any difference. I did have the idea that some lines were delivered a bit quicker after each other. I think David left more of a break between some lines. This could have various reasons that have nothing to do with the voice actor himself but happens in post-editing.
I spoke to Jim about his new role and he told me he is excited to be the new voice of claptrap. He studied the previous games and voice actors to prepare for this role. Knowing Jim, he is such a fan of the games and Gearbox Software, he will double down to get things right.
I heard that the old voice modulator that GBX used for the previous Borderlands games didn’t work on the new hardware. They needed to find an old computer that could run the software so they could remake the voice modulator for the current gen. While there is a slight difference in a side-by-side comparison it is not noticeable. So even if GBX used the original voice actor, Claptrap would still sound differently.
Original Article
posted on 12/16/2018
Gearbox Software has cast Jim Foronda as the voice for Claptrap in Borderlands 2 VR and the commercials. Jim is also responsible for the voice of General Dahl in Borderlands 2 and the Dalh voice of the New-U stations in Borderlands the Pre-Sequel. If you are a Battleborn fan you know Jim as Oscar Mike, Whisky Foxtrot, ISIC, and MINREC. Jim announced that he got the role during Episode 120 of the Third Shift Podcast. The funny thing is that Jim was teasing this new role on Twitter by including Claptrap in some (not so) hidden ways into his tweets.
Jim is following up David Eddings who was the original voice actor for Claptrap. During the development of Borderlands 1 and 2, David worked at Gearbox Software as VP of Marketing. While the role of Claptrap was originally planned as just the tutorial guide, his popularity turned him into one of the main NPCs in the second game and even a playable vault hunter in the Pre-Sequel. In 2017 David’s departure from the company also resulted in a new casting call for the role.
During the Gauntlet of Romance performance at PAX fans did notice that the voice of claptrap wasn’t done by the original voice actor. David Eddings confirmed this performance wasn’t his. Since then, I think a lot of fans put their foot into the ground that they “only” wanted David to do the voice of claptrap. Now we have a new voice actor for Claptrap in BL2VR and personally, I think Jim did a great job, you can listen to his voice in the new dialogue lines that GBX added to Borderlands 2 VR.
Borderlands 2 VR Gameplay
- 01:04 – Introduction M.O.V.E.R. Echo device
- 07:25 – Introduction BAMF Time
Exclusive Third Shift Reveal Interview
Check out the interview with Jim by my friends at Third Shift.
