It is no secret that Genshin Impact‘s varied roster of flashy and colorful characters is the gacha’s strongest aspect. Paimon, The Archons, and everyone in between offer personality characteristics and designs that almost every type of player can adore. The ones bringing these characters to life are, of course, the voice actors. The English VAs, in particular, have all done tremendously well to captivate and immerse players during their adventures Teyvat. Unfortunately, not all is well for our favorite Genshin Impact voice actors, as some have gone unpaid for months.
Corina Boettger and Brandon Winckler Are Unpaid for Their Work
After a fifth email with no response, This is regarding Genshin Impact. Inexcusable for us as actors to be waiting 4+ months for pay when you make $86 million per month. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon problem- (thread) https://t.co/BPBW3WibG9
— Brandon James VO (@brandonjaytheva) July 13, 2023
The unpaid VAs in question are Corina Boettger and Brandon Winckler in Genshin Impact. Corina is a name many will quickly recognize as the voice behind one of the game’s most prominent characters — Paimon, the Traveler’s faithful companion. Conversely, Brandon voices several minor characters, the most notable being Kazuha’s friend during the Inazuma Archon questline, “Omnipresence Over Mortals.”
Still, regardless of how distinguished one’s character is, being paid should be a given for any voice actor in the gaming industry. As of writing, only two Genshin Impact VAs have spoken out against Hoyoverse for leaving them unpaid for months. However, there’s no telling if others not active on social media are also being overlooked.
Again… been working for MONTHS unpaid on a BIG project for a studio. I am owed THOUSANDS of dollars. I am struggling currently to pay rent because of this. This project has made BILLIONS. This project should be Union.
— Zulu & Lima (Corina 🍉) (@thebirdzulu) July 13, 2023
With the SAG-AFTRA strike also affecting many areas of the entertainment industry, it’s no surprise that Hoyoverse isn’t properly paying its English Genshin Impact VAs. Hoyoverse’s flagship title has made billions of dollars in revenue since its release in 2020. Honkai: Star Rail has already made hundreds of millions as well. Of course, one could argue that the intermediary dubbing company responsible for paying the voice actors is at fault. Nevertheless, the accountability ultimately falls into Hoyoverse’s hands when it comes to paying workers for their time.
The Genshin Impact community is no stranger to controversies, from in-game issues to misconduct by beloved voice actors. Still, individuals not being paid for their work for entire months is another problem that should not happen in any industry. Hopefully, Hoyoverse will quickly compensate their unpaid Genshin Impact voice actors and not let this situation come to pass in the future.
After all, version 4.0 is soon upon us. Any drama between now and the update’s release might influence how the fanbase reacts to the expansion, tarnishing Hoyoverse’s reputation in the public’s eye. For those who’ve boarded the hype train to Fontaine, here’s a video by CatWithBlueHat showcasing things some might have missed in the 4.0 Teaser:
