what are they pissy about exactly?

Elias Toufexis (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

Looks like a possible Far Cry Primal delay to me.

They want to be paid royalties based on game sales, like actors get for movies, instead of short term contracts. The problem with their argument is that actors are a significant draw for people to watch a particular movie, they are a significant part of the marketing. You get Brad Pitt to play a part, a lot of people go see it *because* it has Brad Pitt. As a result, a movies successful relies heavily on the actors used, so they get paid based on the success of the movie. Voice actors aren't the same for games, you don't buy a game because a particular voice actor was used, indeed there are many examples where different voice actors have been used for the same character across games. They play less of a role than many of the developers when it comes to a games success.

On the one hand I feel bad for them, but on the other hand....they are easily replaced. And I don't think a strike will help, because there is no shortage of junior actors/actresses trying to get a start that would jump at a chance to do voice acting for games.

Maybe they pull a One Million Years B.C  and they make the characters talk only in their own primal language.

Better play some more Undertale and Rocket League then.

I hope they realize their piddling war chest is horribly outclassed by the industry's juggernauts. And the small fish can't give them royalties; they don't pull enough revenue to just go carving more slices out of the pie. They need the stability of those flat rates. AND games don't *have* to record lines until late in the development process if they so choose, so they can starve these guys for long periods. This isn't like a movie where no actors means essentially no production.

Personally, if I were a boss at a company, make a counter offer: I reroute some of the absurd revenue going to executive bonuses to voice actor pay and implement their desired safety whatnots. But royalties? That's just a rabbit hole not worth going down.

very good

now the money can be better spend

Ironic how two of the most overused voice actors haven't said shit.

This is only for the US, right?

Studios will still be able to go and hire canadian actors/actresses or do it in the UK.

Lol, they're about as replaceable as someone working at McDonald's. Good riddence if you ask me, maybe developers won't have to deal with all of this nonsense.