With the advent of live-service games and microtransactions came the genre of gacha video games, where players have to either earn limited in-game currency or spend real-world money to gamble for special perks that range between limited-time items, cards, and even playable characters. One prime example isGenshin Impact, a gamedeveloped by HoYoVersethat has captured the hearts of fans everywhere to become one of the most popular gacha games around.
Most gamers who haven’t played the action RPG are likely aware of it due to the fact that the 4 and 5-star characters are so coveted thatGenshin Impact’sconcurrent earningsare incredibly impressive. Despite these earnings, two of the game’s reoccurring voice actors issued a statement that they hadn’t been paid in months. While thankfully the situation has ended amicably, it happened in a blink of an eye, so some fans might need a breakdown of what exactly happened. After all, this is not something that should be standard, nor repeated in the industry.
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The Accusations From Genshin Impact’s Voice Actors
AsGenshin Impacthas been a widely known name among gamers as early as 2020, things seemed to be working relatively smoothly between the voice actors for some time. However, as early as December 2022, voice actors reportedly stopped receiving payments on time, if not entirely. After trying to reach out to HoYoVerse and the recording studio used by them, Formosa Group, two importantvoice actors inGenshin Impactdecided to make public statements in July 2023 about how they hadn’t been paid, with one saying the lack of money was leading them to risk homelessness.
One of them was Brandon Winckler, a common background voice for many ofGenshin’sNPCs, including Kazuha’s friend who plays an important role in the 5-star character’s backstory. The other, who made it public that they needed help raising money for rent through Twitch streams, was the voice ofGenshin Impact’sde facto mascot Paimon, Corina Boettger. Both voice actors made it clear to fans that they weren’t sure if it was HoYoVerse or Formosa Group at fault. This created an air of uncertainty, but if one thing was clear, it’s that both actors (and any in the industry) are entitled to their pay.
HoYoVerse’s Statement and Current Resolution
Actors publicly stating on social media that they haven’t been paid in half a year is a big deal that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Some fans answered Boettger’s wishes for them to demand HoYoVerse look into unionizingGenshin’scast, while others began looking deeper into the situation. It led to the discovery that Winckler was being paid on time for theirwork onHonkai: Star Rail, another HoYoVerse game that uses a different recording studio, Rocket Sound.
GLHF asked HoYoVerse for comment, to which it replied that “Genshin Impactsupports our voice actors to claim their proper due,” stating that the company has paid Formosa Group on time and that HoYoVerse has “urged the studio to pay the voice actors” while also looking into “alternative options.” The most recent updates from Boettger and Winckler have been that the situation is being “fixed” followingHoYoVerse’s statement. There are still some unknown factors to this all, of course, but the bottom line (their pay) has been covered, at least.
After this terrible situation put Boettger and possibly others in a dire situation, it’s great to see such a swift resolution. However, it should not have happened in the first place. This isn’t the only instance where actors who bring iconic characters to life have gone without fair treatment, and it sadly won’t be the last. It should be though, and hopefully Formosa Group, HoYoVerse, and every company involved is looking into ways to ensure this does not happen again, whether it’s forGenshin Impactor any other projects.
Genshin Impactis now available on Mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is in development.
