The Voice Actress That Refused to Return to SWTOR

[OldVengeance]

If a voice actor could not return at all for any reason, Bioware only had a couple options. The first is to write that character out of the game entirely, with the events of that character's departure playing out entirely off screen, or to bring the character back with a new voice actor.

 

For important companion characters like Kira, Jaesa, or Quinn, bringing the character back with a new voice actor is the least bad option. An offscreen death or something similar would be a deeply dissatisfying ending to their character arcs, and unfair to players who didn't have their Outlander pursue Lana or Koth or whomever, with the expectation that their character's LI from the class stories would return.

 

Well obviously that would be better than killing them off off-screen, I'm just saying that voice actors are important enough to be worth the effort to try to bring back.

[Aeneas_Falco]

Yes but while many people who are taking these risks are doing so to barely make it these voice actors make far more money. Average people manage to (barely) survive on 8 bucks an hour. That's what my husband makes to support our family and it's a serious struggle. These people make FAR more than even 50 dollars an hour considering that "there are people who'd do this for 50 bucks an hour" was slung at them as an insult. The ameteur voice actors I know are typically paid between 200 and 300 dollars an hour. Famous actors like some of these probably make three times that and looking at the sheer number of roles to their credit they're clearly not hurting on the financial front.

 

It's like professional athletes or actors asking for more money. It's ridiculous. There are many parts of this strike that I agree with but not the wages part.

 

To be fair, voice actors also have zero job security. They work on a project and are immediately unemployed once that project is finished, potentially with nothing lined up, but still needing to pay rent and the electric, water, or gas bill, and buy groceries. The money they make from one project has to carry them through to the next.

 

It's not quite the life of luxury you're making it out to be. Some of them do quite well, but that's just a small minority of voice actors. They can't be compared to professional athletes, where even the players that are below average are often millionaires. The average salary for a voice actor is between $35,000 and $75,000 a year. They're not wealthy.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Aeneas_Falco

[Neshira]

To be fair, voice actors also have zero job security. They work on a project and are immediately unemployed once that project is finished, potentially with nothing lined up, but still needing to pay rent and the electric, water, or gas bill, and buy groceries. The money they make from one project has to carry them through to the next.

 

It's not quite the life of luxury you're making it out to be. Some of them do quite well, but that's just a small minority of voice actors. They can't be compared to professional athletes, where even the players that are below average are often millionaires. The average salary for a voice actor is between $35,000 and $75,000 a year. They're not wealthy.

 

75,000 a year IS wealthy. It's 4 times what my husband makes in a year. We're AVERAGE for an american family. Their minimum is more than enough to support a family. They need better working conditions but they get paid enough.

[DanNV]

75,000 a year IS wealthy. It's 4 times what my husband makes in a year. We're AVERAGE for an american family. Their minimum is more than enough to support a family. They need better working conditions but they get paid enough.

 

That will depend a lot on where they live. The cost of living varies greatly depending on your location. You can buy good sized homes in the midwest for less than a bare lot in California. A quick search for San Jose, shows a 2 bedroom apartment starting at $1800 a month and going up rather dramatically from there. Austin TX, starts at about $700 a month, Nashville, TN starts at about $700 and New York starts at about $1500. SO, wat is a living wage one place isn't pverty somewhere else.

[TUXs]

Sadly it wasn't Lana...she seems to do every female voice in KOTET.

[Andryah]

75,000 a year IS wealthy. It's 4 times what my husband makes in a year. We're AVERAGE for an american family. Their minimum is more than enough to support a family. They need better working conditions but they get paid enough.

 

Sorry to tell you... but 75K a year salary is NOT wealthy. Wealthy is never having to work again for the rest of your life and living comfortably in the process on assets you already hold.

 

Depending on where you live, it may be enough to be comfortable... but even then it is not wealthy. It is at best, perhaps... a comfortable living.. but you are only one financial hardship from total ruin. Even if you are sitting on 5 years annual salary in fluid assets... you are still not wealthy.. you are however comfortable and relatively immune to sudden financial hardship.

 

Wealthy is a moving target, depending on life style, location, etc.... but one common point is that wealthy means not having to budget or really be concerned for everything or anything you do in life.. ever. https://aboutschwab.com/images/uploads/inline/Charles_Schwab_SF_Bay_Area_Survey_Full_Findings.pdf

Edited January 4, 2017 by Andryah

[Vember]

Who voiced Ashara and when is she coming back?

[Eshvara]

Sorry to tell you... but 75K a year salary is NOT wealthy. Wealthy is never having to work again for the rest of your life and living comfortably in the process on assets you already hold.

 

Depending on where you live, it may be enough to be comfortable... but even then it is not wealthy. It is at best, perhaps... a comfortable living.. but you are only one financial hardship from total ruin. Even if you are sitting on 5 years annual salary in fluid assets... you are still not wealthy.. you are however comfortable and relatively immune to sudden financial hardship.

 

Wealthy is a moving target, depending on life style, location, etc.... but one common point is that wealthy means not having to budget or really be concerned for everything or anything you do in life.. ever. https://aboutschwab.com/images/uploads/inline/Charles_Schwab_SF_Bay_Area_Survey_Full_Findings.pdf

To live comfortably in the Us you need to make about 39k a year, you have it pretty damn good if you make 75k, you can be considered wealthy. You wont be able to live in Calabasas, but it's not like that's needed. Her husband is worth about 3m and she about 1.5. They dont have to work anymore for the rest of their lives if they wanted to.

 

I'm sure their jobs got them to that amount of money.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Eshvara

[RiVaN_]

As of the December 30th SAG-AFTRA, the majority of SWTOR's and all other games VA's belong to, are on strike against EA & BW, Disney interactive entertainment, Sony Entertainment Online, Activation and Insomniac Games.

 

Jennifer Hale is the most outspoken of the VA's striking, but many others have made statements and the law firm representing the Game companies has issued a statement that the companies will not back down from their last offer which was given in November.

 

Because of this strike we could easily see little to no story content or spoke lines in SWTOR from here on out. I'm willing to bet that any new VA that is done for SWTOR will be new characters and will be completed out of either the Canadian Studio or the UK studio.

[Limariko]

Sorry to tell you... but 75K a year salary is NOT wealthy. Wealthy is never having to work again for the rest of your life and living comfortably in the process on assets you already hold.

 

Depending on where you live, it may be enough to be comfortable... but even then it is not wealthy. It is at best, perhaps... a comfortable living.. but you are only one financial hardship from total ruin. Even if you are sitting on 5 years annual salary in fluid assets... you are still not wealthy.. you are however comfortable and relatively immune to sudden financial hardship.

 

Wealthy is a moving target, depending on life style, location, etc.... but one common point is that wealthy means not having to budget or really be concerned for everything or anything you do in life.. ever. https://aboutschwab.com/images/uploads/inline/Charles_Schwab_SF_Bay_Area_Survey_Full_Findings.pdf

 

Again, it really depends on where you live. For me, $30-35K's living very comfortably with $75K being well off enough to only bother with working as a something to do to get out of the house for a bit while still being able to leave something for my kids after I kick the bucket.

[Nocturnalchemy]

Sorry to tell you... but 75K a year salary is NOT wealthy. Wealthy is never having to work again for the rest of your life and living comfortably in the process on assets you already hold.

 

Indeed. For people who live in the most populous urban areas of the United States (which is where I'd wager most actors, voice or otherwise, tend to live), $75k/year is not much more than is necessary to live what's considered a comfortably middle-class lifestyle. So, it's basically enough to have a modest home, with basic needs met, and to put some money away, each year, with maybe a little bit for luxury expenses, like the occasional vacation somewhere nice.

[RiVaN_]

75,000 a year IS wealthy. It's 4 times what my husband makes in a year. We're AVERAGE for an american family. Their minimum is more than enough to support a family. They need better working conditions but they get paid enough.

 

Actually $8 an hour is not average for an American family, it is well below average. Average household income in the USA is between $35k and $40k.

 

VA's receive approximately $825 for a 4 hour recording session during which, contractually, they are not authorized to take breaks or sometimes even take a drink of water. The studio wants them to squeeze in as much recording time as possible in these sessions and often time an actor will do all of their recording a single game in 1x 4 hours session. VA's seldom know what game they are working on, what role they are playing, or even what intellectual property it is part of. They often show up, are given lines, direction and are asked to make particular sounds that are honestly, not meant to be made by the human vocal cords.

 

"Make the sound you think you would make if you were shot in the heart. Good now make that sound 50 times with different volumes and different degrees of pain."

 

The VA strike is about them being told up front what games they are working on, what role they are playing and being able to take short breaks, get a drink and rest their voice between sessions to be able to avoid damage to their vocal cords. They want a SMALL percentage of the general profits, or a royalty (the same as movie and television stars get) to be a guaranteed a small income and they want the studios to be required to chip in on their medical expenses if they damage their voices while on the job (in lieu of medical insurance).

A voice actor would need to (and usually do) do a significant amount of work each year to maintain a decent income. Have you ever looked up any voice actors on IMDB and noticed how many projects they work on in a single year?

It's A LOT!

 

The Game studio's counter offer was a $100 per session raise and an additional $50 if the game was expected to be a top shelf title like SWTOR, ESO, Call of Duty etc.

That's it.

They still refuse to tell them what the project they are working on what their role is or even allow them to negotiate rest breaks in their contracts.

 

The actors are simply asking for small potatoes and the studio's won't even offer to let them go take a dump during a session... For crying out loud can a guy get a break to use the crapper over here?!?!?!?

[Aeneas_Falco]

75,000 a year IS wealthy. It's 4 times what my husband makes in a year. We're AVERAGE for an american family. Their minimum is more than enough to support a family. They need better working conditions but they get paid enough.

 

75,000 a year isn't wealthy. How far a salary goes depends on where you live, but there is no place in the country where that would be considered rich. It's a middle class salary, although of course there are ranges, and some middle class people do make less.

 

If you're an actor and you want to have the semblance of a decent career you have to live in or near L.A. or New York, cities where the cost of living is extremely high. According to google the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in L.A. is $1,949 and $2,700 in New York City.

 

75,000 a year might go a lot further in South Dakota, but there's little work for actors in South Dakota.

 

It's a similar story in other countries. Most of the work for actors in the UK is in London and Toronto for Canadians, cities that also have an extremely high cost of living.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Aeneas_Falco

[HoloTweed]

75,000 a year IS wealthy. It's 4 times what my husband makes in a year. We're AVERAGE for an american family. Their minimum is more than enough to support a family. They need better working conditions but they get paid enough.

 

$75,000 a year is NOT wealthy. If your husband is only making $18,500 that's POVERTY.

 

I've read your posts and all I can see is jealousy and envy. It's like the song "Money for Nothing" - you think that just because they "only" use their voices that they should make less money than your husband.

 

Sorry, doesn't (and shouldn't) work that way. Welcome to the Entertainment Industry. These folks who are making $800 for 4 hours might not work for weeks. Any who are reasonable well off also do film and TV animations and movies. They are professionals, and they deserve to make as much doing voices for computer games as they do for TV and movie animations... in fact, computer games earn MORE money than films. So where's the equity?

 

Sorry you're so jealous about the money they make. I've always been in video or marketing production and feel the same way about salesmen who don't do any of the actual work but make the lion's share of dough. Yet, without them, there would be no work to do.

 

So really, enough with this "there are other people who would do that job better, for less" 1) No there aren't. 2) They'll have to pay their dues and agents and managers to work their way up the ladder like everyone else did. But stop begrudging them the salary they deserve in the industry in which they work. It's so petty.

[Neshira]

That will depend a lot on where they live. The cost of living varies greatly depending on your location. You can buy good sized homes in the midwest for less than a bare lot in California. A quick search for San Jose, shows a 2 bedroom apartment starting at $1800 a month and going up rather dramatically from there. Austin TX, starts at about $700 a month, Nashville, TN starts at about $700 and New York starts at about $1500. SO, wat is a living wage one place isn't pverty somewhere else.

 

I live in Nashville. Unless you're looking at a studio apartment in the absolute worst area of town you won't find anything for 700. An average (in a not-so-great side of town) 2 bedroom apartment is over 1000 dollars here easily.

[Neshira]

$75,000 a year is NOT wealthy. If your husband is only making $18,500 that's POVERTY.

 

I've read your posts and all I can see is jealousy and envy. It's like the song "Money for Nothing" - you think that just because they "only" use their voices that they should make less money than your husband.

 

Sorry, doesn't (and shouldn't) work that way. Welcome to the Entertainment Industry. These folks who are making $800 for 4 hours might not work for weeks. Any who are reasonable well off also do film and TV animations and movies. They are professionals, and they deserve to make as much doing voices for computer games as they do for TV and movie animations... in fact, computer games earn MORE money than films. So where's the equity?

 

Sorry you're so jealous about the money they make. I've always been in video or marketing production and feel the same way about salesmen who don't do any of the actual work but make the lion's share of dough. Yet, without them, there would be no work to do.

 

So really, enough with this "there are other people who would do that job better, for less" 1) No there aren't. 2) They'll have to pay their dues and agents and managers to work their way up the ladder like everyone else did. But stop begrudging them the salary they deserve in the industry in which they work. It's so petty.

I'm not saying they shouldn't have more control or have better conditions but all they do is walk into a room and read lines. Actors of all types are far overpaid. I believe they need better conditions and knowledge of their roles but they don't deserve more money especially if they're working for AAA titles and making as much as they do. They make enough as it is.

 

For the sake of the product they do need to be better informed about their roles. And yes, there are far better VAs out there that would work for less that have yet to be discovered. Some of the actors on strike aren't even good and as we've seen with the terrible voice quality in some HUGE games (Skyrim, pretty much all beth games pre FO4, and even some bits of SWTOR) the same actors and actresses still get work despite lacking skill that others may have instead.

 

They can hire better actors who will work cheaper. Is that ideal? No of course not but it can happen and if these people don't stop and realize they don't need to be paid more for doing so little it will happen.

Edited January 5, 2017 by Neshira

[HoloTweed]

I'm not saying they shouldn't have more control or have better conditions but all they do is walk into a room and read lines. Actors of all types are far overpaid. I believe they need better conditions and knowledge of their roles but they don't deserve more money especially if they're working for AAA titles and making as much as they do. They make enough as it is.

 

For the sake of the product they do need to be better informed about their roles. And yes, there are far better VAs out there that would work for less that have yet to be discovered. Some of the actors on strike aren't even good and as we've seen with the terrible voice quality in some HUGE games (Skyrim, pretty much all beth games pre FO4, and even some bits of SWTOR) the same actors and actresses still get work despite lacking skill that others may have instead.

 

They can hire better actors who will work cheaper. Is that ideal? No of course not but it can happen and if these people don't stop and realize they don't need to be paid more for doing so little it will happen.

 

You're envy is overflowing. Why do YOU care how much money they make? On top of that, this isn't a 9 to 5 job with paid vacations and insurance. They have to pay for ALL of that, plus taxes, from what they bring in. So they are NOT "overpaid." And YOU have NO IDEA if there are "far better VAs out there." Are you a producer? No. That statement has ZERO basis in reality. Plus, why SHOULD they work for less if this is what the industry pays... and VA work in animation for TV and film pays EVEN BETTER!! If they got paid less, they couldn't even afford to stay in the industry.

 

This kind of jealous ignorance is infuriating. Are there people who can do your husband's job better for cheaper? I bet so. SHOULD THEY?

[RiVaN_]

I'm not saying they shouldn't have more control or have better conditions but all they do is walk into a room and read lines. Actors of all types are far overpaid. I believe they need better conditions and knowledge of their roles but they don't deserve more money especially if they're working for AAA titles and making as much as they do. They make enough as it is.

 

I highlighted that to say this.

 

They never know what title they are working on, NEVER and therefore still only get paid $825 for a AAA title, just the same as if they were working on Johnny Snots: Booger Eater.

 

A little perspective.

 

SWTOR has made over $300 Million worldwide.

Jennifer Hale and Steve Blum both got paid SAG Minimum for their work on SWTOR (part of teh reason they are involved with the strike) Through the original game and all of the expansions Hale stated in an interview that she has been in 10 recording sessions (for SWTOR) over the past 5 years.

This means that in 5 years SWTOR has paid her $8,250 and they have profited over $300 Million.

So I disagree, she was not over paid for voicing multiple characters in this game.

 

A friend of mine recorded lines for a AAA title a few years ago. He was the lead role AND 1 minor role.

The studio wanted all of his lines recorded in 1 session so he was pushed to finish all of his lines in just 4 hours.

The stress on his vocal cords caused him to have to undergo a $1200 surgery and a month off work....

$825 - ($1200 + 1 month of income) = Definitely NOT over paid!

All for $825 made on a game that profited over $100 Million dollars...

 

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you here. I believe that these people have a talent and that they deserve to be paid for using their gift.

All the VA's are asking for is safer work environments, rest breaks, prior knowledge of what title and role they are speaking for and a small royalty. The residual income from this royalty is a small pittance in most cases. They aren't asking for multi-million dollar contracts, in most cases the royalties they would get would give them a few thousand dollars over the life of a game. At best a voice actress like Jennifer Hale would end up seeing her annual income raise to $80,000 maybe $85,000.

That still doesn't make her wealthy, it puts her squarely in the middle class.

The IRS says that "the wealthy" have household incomes of $250k a year or more. Voice Actors don't even come close to this level of income.

[SerraShar]

Considering how much compagny make off their back , they arent paid enough .

 

and if you think talking in a mic and repeating a sentance 50 times is nothing . thats often come from ignorance .

[mattshaheen]

If you do a search for the voice actor in wiki each of them hasn't done any voice acting since October 2016.

[mmmbuddah]

I am pretty sure the voice actress for Jaesa is not the only one that switched, the voice acting for the female smuggler is god AWFUL in kotfe and kotet. We went from a bad *** gritty smuggler, to a high and mighty super stuck up proper holier than thou jedi.

[americanaussie]

I am pretty sure the voice actress for Jaesa is not the only one that switched, the voice acting for the female smuggler is god AWFUL in kotfe and kotet. We went from a bad *** gritty smuggler, to a high and mighty super stuck up proper holier than thou jedi.

 

On the other hand, the female trooper voice went from very soldier low like to a softer version that is like Satele with emotion in SOR. I prefer the SOR version.

[mmmbuddah]

On the other hand, the female trooper voice went from very soldier low like to a softer version that is like Satele with emotion in SOR. I prefer the SOR version.

 

Yeah, Jennifer Hale is the one who isnt being used anymore if I understand correctly, so that would explain it. It just REALLY irked me that my smuggler, which is pretty much a mirror image of me =D, suddenly went so ......... pious.

[killershrike]

Yeah, Jennifer Hale is the one who isnt being used anymore if I understand correctly, so that would explain it. It just REALLY irked me that my smuggler, which is pretty much a mirror image of me =D, suddenly went so ......... pious.

 

Both Jennifer Hale and Kath Soucie have continued to voice their characters in KoTET - there was no change in voice actors.

[mmmbuddah]

Both Jennifer Hale and Kath Soucie have continued to voice their characters in KoTET - there was no change in voice actors.

 

Then why do all of them suddenly have a different tone? Seriously, the female merc is the only voice actress I noticed so far that sounds even remotely the same.