Genshin Impact's latest trailer has something the last few were missing: English voice acting. And fans are wondering if hearing version 5.2's new characters Chasca and Ororon is a sign that the game's voice acting will be restored with this update.
Characters in Genshin Impact went quiet not long after the SAG-AFTRA voice actor strike began in July. Cutscenes in its 5.1 update were oddly silent and some of its recent trailers are either in Japanese or have no talking at all. But something might've changed recently with how developer Hoyoverse is handling its voice actors.
The strike rules state that voice actors can continue to work on games that were in production before August 25, which includes Genshin Impact. But some of its characters are voiced by actors who work under Formosa Interactive, one of the 10 companies SAG-AFTRA's strike has targeted for clarification on its use of generative AI and to negotiate compensation for generating material based on an actor's voice or likeness. Riot Games uses the same production company for League of Legends characters.
In the patch notes for the previous update, Hoyoverse said the lack of English voices was "due to recording arrangements," and left it at that. The studio hasn't commented on the strike or the status of its contract with Formosa Interactive since. There are rumors that it started working with another company not targeted by the strike, but it hasn't confirmed whether or not that's true.
Gabriel Castro, who voices three characters in the game, replied to a fan predicting the return of English voices in the comments under today's trailer suggesting that nothing has changed:
"I know you guys want to see English VA, but that depends entirely on Hoyoverse! We voice actors deserve to be treated with respect and to know they won't dabble with AI. It's too important, but I hope we all get to come back again soon and voice for the game!!"
It's possible the voices were recorded a while ago or that these specific voice actors are associated with a separate company. Corina Boettger, who voices floating sidekick Paimon, works under a separate studio, which is why her character hasn't been affected.
Without a comment from Hoyoverse, we're going to have to wait until November 20 when version 5.2 comes out to see what happens. Along with the new characters, it will bring two new companions, new bosses, new zones, and another chapter in its current Archon storyline.
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