Game News 2.0

B.A._Baracus

Im either a jerk or I'm being realistic...

Sure she may have been lowballed so she'd refuse. May have had a deal in place to be offered the part first for future sequels. But many a person gets lowballed. Am sure right now, as I type, someone is telling another to get on their bike with the offer they received. A tradesmen, specialist what ever. So Hellena Taylor is perfectly within her right to refuse if she wanted but this happens every day. No one owes you anything in this world.

That said, for a voice actress who hasn't worked since 2014, she's clearly doing something else to earn a living. 4 grand for 16 hours work would be a nice handy sum on the side. It's not like she's booked solid and if they want her back they gotta pay more.

The harsh reality of life is that millions of people out there would gladly use their voice for 16 hours for 4 grand. Who wouldn't?

She should have taken the money. Do cameos for people and this job could have lead to other work as she's back doing VO work.

Retr0gamer

I don't know where the more talented VA stuff is coming from? Hellena Taylor might not have as much VA stuff as Jennifer Hale but she has massive amounts theatre and TV experience in major roles as well as some minor movie roles. Always thought her Bayonetta performance was excellent, really playful and fun but can really bring out some surprising emotional depth to the performance. While I think Jennifer Hale is also an excellent performer I very much doubt they went with her to have a better actress than Taylor.

Retr0gamer

Bloober Team developing Silent Hill 2 remake. Really not liking this considering their awful and quite frankly dangerous portrayal of mental health issues in their other games.

recyclops

Absolutely no need for it but il play it anyway. Easily one of the greatest games ever made but if they somehow manage to get the nuance of the original it'll be brilliant. Amazed if they do.

Greyfox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119764138#Comment_119764138

Millions would but your still underestimating the fact that its not easy to be good at this kind of job. By not taking the money she's standing up to getting lowballed which is a good thing even if it doesn't help her career

Timed exclusive? I've played a few of Bloobers games, Layers of Fear, Blair Witch and The Medium. The Medium was a step up on their other stuff but still a far cry from a big time AAA game.

I don't have the same reverence as some for Silent Hill 2. I loved SH1 and was wetting myself with excitement for SH2 and was crushed with disappointment when I played it. I've gone back to it in recent years and warmed to it but still don't rate it above the first game. Weird thing is I can't say why, I should have loved it. Everything was there but something just didn't click with me.

Retr0gamer

And the Silent Hill live stream throws a curveball right at the end. Silent Hill f. A brand new game in the franchise. The visuals look incredible. Then it announces the story is written by Ryukishi07 who is the writer behind the incredible horror games Higurashi and Umineko.

This is more like it!

super_furry

Bloober team have not made a good game and The Medium was really poor, even without the whole creepy pedophile sympathising.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119768443#Comment_119768443

And their quite frankly dangerous handling of mental health issues. Basically story boils down to if you have mental health issues you are broken and can't be helped so go kill yourself or something.

Retr0gamer

But anyway **** Silent Hill 2 remake. Silent Hill f is looking like it's going to be incredible considering who is behind it. Higurashi is an incredible piece of horror that brilliantly subverts visual novel tropes and the writer is now working on a Silent Hill game.

recyclops

This silent hill stream is odd. It's like ko ami are throwing as much mud as possible and hoping something sticks.

Silent hill isn't the MCU you can't just stick the name on it and expect it to be good as they are learning more and more with each release.

Retr0gamer

Seems the team behind Silent Hill f worked on the Resi 2, 3 remakes and resi 7 as well as RE;verse.

Zero-Cool

Silent Hill 2 Remake could be great as long as they leave the story alone. Jesus that ending was depressing, still think about it now and then.

Return to Silent Hill, i don't think they have the balls to stick to the story of 2 as they claim it will be loosely based on it. Would love to see them go to some dark places but i think they'll try to reach a wider audience.

Silent Hill Ascension, i still don't know what that will be.

Silent Hill Townfall, Annapurna are involved, say no more fam.

Student Hill f, got instant Siren vibes off it, could be a proper little next gen horror.

recyclops

Silent hill 2 story just grabbed a late teens me and then the ending was something I'd never really experienced before.

Worst part was at the time nobody honestly appreciated video games as a ligitimate art form back then so when I was trying to explain it all people could think of was Mario.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119768686#Comment_119768686

It's a beautiful piece of writing. Loved its exploration of guilt and and the ambiguity of James' actions.

Every time I see generic fantasy/sci-fi opera stuff like Horizon or Mass Effect get praised for amazing writing it makes me sad that back in 2001 we had Silent Hill 2 and only a handful of the very best indie games have gotten close.

Love the story Jeremy Blaustein tells of how everyone in the recording booth was in tears recording the reading of the letter in the ending.

B.A._Baracus

Not a bad stream. Gave us a taste for various silent hill projects.

You would have to figure Konami is giving mgs the same treatment. A movie is in the works and two developers are rumoured to be making projects. Guess that's the business plan now. Multiple games.

This is one thing I really hate about gaming. The mass social media outrage. I see a Schreier tweet and I think oh no here we go again. I actually don't even read them anymore, but just hearing that he has tweeted another outrage is enough.

If they have done anything illegal she should talk to a solicitor, take them to court and then we can debate the verdict.

I get that the industry can be abusive to staff at times. Crunch, I hate it. Guess what, I do crunch too as to most people who work for a corporation. It's not right, I just don't need to hear the mass social media outrage.

Another point, it's not like gamers all smell like roses. As fans and consumers in the industry it is full of toxic hate, trolling and abuse. Both in the games and outside on social media and forums. The mass outrage and false concern is no more than an extension of that. Its another excuse to be toxic and abusive. Most of those outraged couldn't give a single sh!t about this woman being shafted in her contract.

Retr0gamer

Videogames is a business and like all big business these days it's run my Ayn Randian sociopathic **** so of course there will be controversy that needs to be reported on otherwise people cant be held to account.

As for taking the to court, taking on a big corporation is the best way to financially ruin yourself. Anyway, as Taylor said what they did isn't illegal. It's just really **** and really bad form.

pixelburp

Unlike music, film and TV, video-games is a new industry that's arguably barely 40 years old in the form we know it as - and as such remains a total Wild West in terms of legislation, agreed morals, and employees rights. Everyone's still figuring out how it's all supposed to work. That's not to say the other media are any more codified - witness the recent issues of FX Studios getting mistreated by Marvel et al. Unionisation and/or profit sharing remains hot topic as CGI houses drive more movies' success.

It's only right and proper that as the industry becomes a wealthy mainstay of other Big Media, questions are asked about how that wealth and power is shared or divided. Or when power is abused. Not every scenario is cut & dry, but if it's good enough for Variety and the sundry trades reporting on abuse or bullshit in Hollywood - why does Gaming get a pass?

It's funny 'cos I never read film enthusiasts crying out "just let me watch the movie! Stop talking about this!" when an actor is discovered to be abusive, or the aforementioned controversy with Marvel cropped up. Gamers get oddly defensive when it's revealed that there's an actual commercial industry behind all the bleeps and bloops. It's not a bunch of nerds working out of their bedrooms anymore.

B.A._Baracus

Bloomberg has an article about the whole Bayonetta situation.

According to their sources Taylor was offered 3 to 4,000 dollars PER session. She refused and asked for a 6 figure sum (at least 100,000 so) and residuals.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119769489#Comment_119769489

Just to add to that, Taylor totally refutes the 6 figure sum and residuals and there's absolutely no evidence of the 6 figure sum being proposed. There is evidence of the 3 to 4K per session being offered.

Honestly the 6 figure sum sounds like a complete fabrication on the part of whoever is dealing with this on Platinum's side and a smear campaign to combat the bad PR they've gotten. It's a completely ridiculous figure that Taylor isn't stupid enough to ask for and if she did her and agent and their team wouldn't have entertained it anyway.

The most realistic scenario is she asked for residuals and wouldn't budge on it. Games companies will flat out refuse this as it would set a precedent for offering residuals to other VA artists.

Markitron

I think I got burned out on gaming controversies by listening to Jim Sterling’s podcast for a few years. The industry is full absolute **** and I’m glad they are being called out for everything these days but I personally don’t have the ability to care about any of it these days.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119769379#Comment_119769379

Well it sounds like all she'd get out of a solicitor is a big bill for their time, if nothing illegal has happened. She has opted to take them on via social media. Trial by social media. Not going to end well either.

I do feel sorry for her, games need talent (we've all played games with awful voice acting) but she's basically got shafted on her contract. That, literally, is life. By the sounds of it she tried to renegotiate, which is the correct course to take. But if she got nowhere it means it is because they do not need to pay her that much. It is not because they are satanic goat worshipers. They simply don't need to meet her demands, evidently as they've found someone with impeccable reputation to replace her.

Retr0gamer

Not satanic goat worshippers, theyre just stingey f*cks and she is calling them out on it. Also impeccable reputation? I mean Jennifer Hale is fantastic and has done a lot for the VA industry but don't go fooling yourself. They got some one cheaper.

Sure, yes they got someone cheaper. We'd all love a pay rise but unfortunately there is usually always someone just as capable willing to work for less. Or if not just as capable, good enough for the job not to have to pay me more. This does not warrant an outrage. Its not stingey, its simply called the going rate. To me she's made the common fatal mistake of assuming she is irreplaceable. Almost always ends in having to walk out the door. Also dont forget this is a business contract, she is not an employee. She's selling her service, voice acting, for a price they don't want to pay. Its business, they've gone with a cheaper contract.

Retr0gamer

Just remember that they initially offered 4k before offering 3-4K per session. They low balled her with an insultingly low offer first. Sure you can trot out the right winger capitalist mantra of there's always someone that will do it for less but it's also up to you to fight for and demand better wages. That's what she did and it's within her power to call out companies that low ball talent as well as just as much as it's within their power to cheap out.

johnny_ultimate

I’m all for calling out exploitative practices in the video game industry. Being offered a mere $4,000 for the role would be be pretty disgraceful. But whatever about the residuals and six figure claim, if she was indeed offered circa 15,000-20,000 for the role (apparently a pay increase compared to Bayonetta 2) I do think that’s a significant detail that does complicate the story.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119769884#Comment_119769884

It's not an employee rights issue, it's a services contract and in fact (in Ireland anyway) you have to get 3 quotes and are legally obliged to go with the lowest rate.

I'm pretty sure it's the same elsewhere, recently Amazon went legal with the US military because they picked Microsoft for a contract even though amazon was cheaper.

She's calling for a boycott and we all know this industry well, she will get it. Don't be surprised if she ends up getting sued.

They may well decide the outrage and hit to sales is not worth it and backtrack. But I have to ask, in that situation who is being the prick? And no matter what they do she jas already done the damage. Time for her to lawyer up.

Varik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119769956#Comment_119769956

Doubt any boycott will do anything, the Sag union strike a few years ago was their longest in their history and did nothing. They "won" pratically the same thing they were offered at the start.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119769928#Comment_119769928

I doubt the one off payment was the issue. I imagine residuals were asked for at a lower rate and the industry is dead set against offering any residuals. It's this weird thing where a massive one off payment is fine but offering residuals is the worst thing ever. It's like how companies would rather give a bigger one off bonus than a pay increase.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119769956#Comment_119769956

Thats the service and construction industry. It's different for actors, you negotiate.

Not sure what she would have to lawyer up for. Doubt there's any nda broken and I get the feeling someone might be in more trouble for lying about the 6 figure demand.