Genshin Impact has been embroiled in some controversy this week as some of the voice actors for the hit RPG have claimed they haven't been paid in months.
The claims come via the voice talent for various roles in Genshin Impact, Brandon Winckler. Winckler tweeted about the problem in a thread, stating that they have been waiting "4+ months for pay." After sending multiple emails and receiving no response, Winckler opened up in a thread about the issue, mentioning that this is "not an uncommon problem."
"Inexcusable for us actors to be waiting 4+ months for pay when you make $86 million per month," Winckler tweeted. They followed up by talking about how it's "hard to justify working on something for the sake of work when you can't afford to eat."
"It’s really hard to justify working on something for the sake of work when you can’t afford to eat. Many non-union productions have this problem, I’ve waited anywhere from 4-8 months for payment, and even then, it isn’t much to ask. 1000 here, 500 there, and it adds up fast."
Winckler confirmed that they won't be wokring on Genshin any longer unless it becomes a Union project.
"With all that said, I personally won't be working on this game anymore unless it goes under a Union contract. I don't have much to lose from this choice - and if I'm lucky, I hope others will at least see where I'm coming from with that choice. I'm sorry to be so negative. UGH."
Paimon's voice actor, Corina Boettger, also took to Twitter to vent frustration at the company responsible, stating that they are owed "thousands" for months of work. They also agreed that this project should fall under a Union contract.
"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."
It seems that the problem doesn't stem from HoYoverse themselves, but rather the recording studio part of the Formosa Group, which Winckler names as part of the Twitter thread regarding the issue.. HoYoverse, in a statement to Sports Illustrated's gaming vertical, says that they have made payments to the recording studio "on time," and that they are "seeking alternative solutions" to help with the situation.
"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. 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."
