Following claims ofGenshin Impactvoice actors not receiving payments for their performances, HoYoverse has come forward with an official statement. The massively popular RPG from the Chinese developer has grown into one of the most popular free-to-play games since its initial launch in September 2020. The game regularly earns tens of millions with each of its new gacha banners in China alone and has brought success to HoYoverse’s other projects as well, includingthe recently releasedHonkai: Star Rail. Now, amidst recent controversies, HoYoverse has provided its side of a payment debacle.
Concerns over HoYoverse’s compensation ofGenshin Impact’s voice cast first arose earlier this week with multiple voice actors speaking out. Voice actors Brandon Winckler, who plays several side roles withinGenshin Impact, and Corina Boettger, who plays the game’s flagship companion Paimon, both revealed they had not received payments for months-old recordings. Boettger even revealed she was still waiting on payments for dialogue recorded in December 2022. In response to these claims, HoYoverse is casting the blame in another direction.
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An official statement made by HoYoverse earlier this week responds to the claims of non-payments to several of its voice actors, expressing its “regret for the ongoing situation.” According to the developer, the payments meant for the voice actors had been made to the recording studio with the studio then expected to properly compensate the actors. While HoYoverse did not provide the name of its recording studio,theGenshin Impactdeveloperdid reveal it is working on “alternative solutions” and voiced its support for the game’s cast.
While the developer claims that blame for the situation rests on the recording studio, the debacle would draw the ire of the involved voice actors. Winckler had claimed he would “never work with HoYoverse again” unless the developer was associated with a union. Both Winckler and Boettger pushed hard for the importance of unionization within the gaming industry to alleviate similar issues in the future. This would not mark the first time HoYoverse has found itself in hot water related to its voice cast, withTighnari voice actor Elliot Gindi removed from the gameafter allegations of sexual misconduct.
HoYoverse’s newest controversy comes as the developer is gearing up for major updates across its many popular titles.Genshin Impactis set to introduce its newest playable region next month with Fontaine, bringing new areas, characters, and mechanics to the game.Honkai: Star Railwill also debut its Version 1.2 update next week, adding three new charactersincluding the highly-anticipated Kafka. HoYoverse will look to smooth over its relationship withGenshin Impact’s scorned voice actors with a busy summer ahead for the developer.
Genshin Impactis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and mobile devices. A Switch version is in development.
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