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Kotaku: Life is Strange VA 'Heartbroken' She Won't Play Chloe
- Thread starter Saucycarpdog
- Start date
I still can't believe that the strike has gone on this long and that Square STILL apparently hasn't reexamined their stance on the matter. Good on Burch for sticking to her guns and not crossing the line. She's at least writing and consulting for the game... it's not the same but it's better than nothing.
God I can't wait until the strike is behind us. We're definitely going to start seeing more of this now that we're IIRC a year out from the project cut off date SAG-AFTRA set in place when the strike started. A real shame.
God I can't wait until the strike is behind us. We're definitely going to start seeing more of this now that we're IIRC a year out from the project cut off date SAG-AFTRA set in place when the strike started. A real shame.
Telltale did it with their Monkey Island games.
I wonder if they record their actors all in the same room or if they're recorded separately and the converstions are spliced together.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
For what it's worth, Square Enix is not one of the companies being struck.
However, Blindlight, the company that produced and cast the voices for the first Life is Strange, are being struck. So the issue is probably with them.
I'm not sure if the decision to use them again here would be an SE thing or the developers' choice, although they are used on a lot of SE's other games.
She's not sticking to her guns if she's writing and consulting for the game. If she believes a company should only hire union voice actors she shouldn't do any work for a company that is unwilling to do that. She comes across as a scab to me.
If a company refused to hire union construction workers and there was a union strike against the company, then one of the union construction workers began working for the company in corporate, they'd be a scab. Don't see why this is any different.
This is a big slap in the face to everyone else in the union. She's a big enough name where she can be offered these consulting and writing roles. The same can't be said for the smaller names in union voice acting and as one of the bigger players supporting that side in the strike she should be standing up for them.
Read the comment above you and realize that you should know what you're talking about before you go out and proclaim something that basically attacks someone's ethics.
What stance is there to reexamine for Square? The game is out in two months. Are they supposed to stall production and sit on a game for an actor's strike that still hasn't ended?
I'm sure even Burch wouldn't want that.
LiquidSolid
Member
So the reason why she can return as Aloy in the Horizon DLC is because Sony isn't being struck?
Sucks they recast Chloe but it's good she still has some input into the game.
water_wendi
Water is not wet!
D. L. C.
Sounds like Sony is abiding by the terms of the Union, so yes.
SolicitorPirate
Member
It's been interesting watching the careers of the Burch kids. Anthony broke out first and in a big way, but seems to have hit a road bump, or at least isn't as prominent as before. Ashley spent her early career in her brother's shadow, especially during the halcyon days of Borderlands 2, but has since climbed to far greater heights.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The new VA for Chloe isn't bad but it's just not the same.
Thankfully this doesn't seem to have effect her role for the Horizon Frozen Wilds expansion, which is great.
Thankfully this doesn't seem to have effect her role for the Horizon Frozen Wilds expansion, which is great.
SolicitorPirate
Member
Even though I'm disappointed Burch isn't reprising her role, I would rather the current VA's work not be disregarded and disrespected like that.
NinjaCoachZ
Member
Yeah, Sony aren't being struck, so I think Horizon is fine, but I'll double-check which VO studios were involved in its production just to be sure.
EDIT: Blindlight were involved in some capacity, but VO production seems to have been largely handled by Outsource Media. So yeah, that's probably how she managed to come back for Horizon's DLC.
Insomniac are, however, although they're a separate company. But, it will not affect the development of Spider-Man. According to Sony, Spider-Man's working title was "I-20", which is listed among the non-struck games.
The total list of struck companies is:
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Blindlight, LLC
Corps of Discovery Films
Disney Character Voices, Inc.
Electronic Arts Productions, Inc.
Formosa Interactive, LLC
Insomniac Games, Inc.
Interactive Associates, Inc.
Take 2 Interactive Software
VoiceWorks Productions, Inc.
WB Games, Inc.
I may be biased (we're buddies) but man am I not feeling the new voice in the clips I saw today. Feels so stiff. I'm sure the new VA is hating all this negative light on a good gig. I've cast voice matches before and classy/smart actors usually just try to lie low when they take them.
WaterAstro
Member
This is why unions won't work in video games. They can replace all their workers.
beyond that though i believe the strike is strictly in regards to voice work. The actors can still do any other type of work with them. If EA decided to make a live action TV series I think the actors could still do that if I am recalling right.
thus Ashly doing voice coaching and directing and writing and what not isn't against the idea of the strike at all.
Ban Puncher
Member
'Hot Take' scab post.
DangerMouse
Member
Whew!
Really liked Lowenthal's work in the gameplay trailer (and the other ones we got a little taste of) so it's good that it can remain smoothly in production.
Heh, I-20 aka Sleepless lol
It probably is given how insane the production values on it look and how much voice work and stuff is probably going to be packed into it.
Woah,what?
Evil Monkey DTT
Banned
Honestly, I think it's better she isn't because of her age is lower.... now if we get a season 2 we need her back asap.
Chaserjoey
Member
I wonder if this means Max will also be recast?
2) Season 2 is confirmed and in development by Dontnod. Will have a new cast and setting.
1) Burch already voiced an even younger Chloe, so the problem of a different voice still exists.
2) Season 2 is confirmed and in development by Dontnod. Will have a new cast and setting.
super-famicom
Member
It was really obvious to me from the start. Almost took away from the immersion because I kept hearing Chloe.
no, what, no.
How would that be fair to the actress they got right now? Burch made her choice and as much as it pains her, she is sticking to her guns and that's something to appreciate.
Patching her after the strike would be shitting all over the new voice actress for no reason, the fuck does she have to be punished for? Accepting a job?
It's not clear the strike is ever going to be over. The game companies have no reason to fold, and several of them are actually firms that do voice acting for other big publishers, so it's more like 20 publishers.
Surprised Nintendo isn't on the list, unless they outsourced it to one of the affected companies. Because Zelda's voice acting was some deep VA strike shit.
Yeah, me neither. She's a talented VA.
I don't think Nintendo uses union voice actors in the first place even before the strike.
Evil Monkey DTT
Banned
Oh..... well...... shit.
Formosa did Zelda: Breath of the Wild (and Uncharted 4, The Last of Us, Halo: MCC, and SWTOR as a few other examples).
But yes, I don't think Zelda was a union project for Formosa.
Yeah I read the comment above me. Simply because she's doing a job for the company as a writer and consultant and not a voice actor means she's crossed the picket line.
Post above me says company behind life is strange but not square Enix is being struck. If she isn't allowed to cross the line to do voice acting for the company she shouldn't be crossing the line to do other work for the company.
This really sucks. I feel bound by my own ethics of solidarity to not play/buy the new Life Is Strange. Not really any way around it for me.
People throw the word "boycott" around so much these days that it's become meaningless. But it's situations like this (labor solidarity) that it was created for.
People throw the word "boycott" around so much these days that it's become meaningless. But it's situations like this (labor solidarity) that it was created for.
hodayathink
Member
Except that it looks like the company that handles SE's (and by extension, LiS) voice work is being struck, not SE themselves. The developer and the publisher are not part of the strike, so I don't think working for either of them would be breaking it.
Ban Puncher
Member
Square Enix is the publisher - not struck.
Dontnod Entertainment is the developer - not struck.
Blindlight is the voice actor production company - they are struck.
Burch is free to receive a writing and production credit from working with Dontnod during the game's development. She chose not to reprise her voice acting role as Chloe because that was business through Blindlight. SAG-AFTRA union members are striking over voice acting and not other parts of the game industry.
bitbydeath
Gold Member
This looks to be set before Max moved back to Arcadia.
If you buy the deluxe edition or whatever it's called there's an extra episode starring Max.
whatevermort
Member
All the BotW voice acting was performed by children that go to Reggie's kid's school. It was their annual performance.
bitbydeath
Gold Member
Cool, was not aware of this.
This seems to be the same bs as with American politics, never compromise, burn bridges and let all parties suffer. Isn't there a process where both parties are forced to talk to each other until an agreement is reached if talks fail continously? There should be mandatory outside mediators trying to work things out with the union and the employers.
Well maybe they could include option to use original or patched voice if that ever happened.
Finaika
Member
WTF
I'm not sure what sort of solution you are suggesting here. People in general don't have to work with each other. How can you force people to work together? Work is not mandatory.