Genshin Impact Voice Actors Allegedly Aren't Getting Paid And Calls For Unionization

Voice actors for Genshin Impact are reportedly not getting paid and have taken to Twitter to voice their frustrations. Paimon’s voice actor, Corina Boettger, cites months of unpaid work, saying that’s affected her ability to pay rent. She also expressed disappointment that a project that’s made billions isn’t unionized.

“Just to be clear we don’t know if this is the fault of the studio, or the game company. But regardless, if the game was union this wouldn’t happen,” she wrote.

Another voice actor for Genshin Impact, Brandon Winckler, revealed that he hasn’t received a paycheck for over four months and that miHoYo has yet to answer any of his emails about the matter. He also called for the project to be unionized, refusing to do any voiceover work for the game unless the contract is vetted by a union.

“It’s really hard to justify working on something for the sake of work when you can’t afford to eat,” he tweeted. “A game like this WITHOUT A DOUBT, should be a union production.”

Developer miHoYo issued a statement on the matter via Sports Illustrated. Apparently, the recording studio in charge of the voiceover work for the English port is to blame:

“We truly regret to learn about the ongoing situation. Genshin Impact values and respects the work and effort of everyone involved, and we support our voice actors to claim their proper due,” the studio said. “We have made payments to our recording studio on time, and we immediately urged the studio to pay our voice actors from our past payment. Meanwhile, we are also seeking alternative solutions. And we will keep you posted on further developments.”

The ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA underscores the need for unions to ensure proper compensation, fair treatment, and protection against work-related abuse, and the allegations made by Genshin Impact voice actors further emphasize the significance of union involvement in the video game industry.