Corina Boettger, the voice actor for Paimon inGenshin Impact, has announced that she is refusing to voice their character, effectively forcing HoYoverse to look for a replacement. Despite not being a union project,Genshin Impacthas found itself at the forefront of the SAG-AFTRA strike, with many English voice actors being unable or unwilling to return to work.
As explained by Joe Zieja, the voice actor forWriothesley inGenshin Impact, since HoYoverse games weren’t union projects, voice actors weren’t officially on strike. This collective work refusal was instead related to a rule by SAG-AFTRA where union voice actors weren’t allowed to work on non-union projects. While the organization has historically turned a blind eye to voice actors who picked up non-union work, it began to enforce the rule forGenshin Impactat the height of the strike. Erika Harlacher-Stone, the voice of Venti, decided to return to the role in Version 5.6, but was allegedly met with a threatening letter by SAG-AFTRA.
The latest development in this ongoing saga involves aGenshin Impactactor leaving their role, as opposed to coming back. Corina Boettger officially confirmed on their Bluesky profile that they will no longer voicePaimon inGenshin Impactuntil HoYoverse signs the interim agreement proposed by SAG-AFTRA. However, HoYoverse allegedly cannot sign the interim agreement without breaking Chinese laws, which may very well force the developers to recast Paimon – a decision once seen as unthinkable.
Why Paimon’s VA Is Quitting Their Genshin Impact Role
According to Boettger, the decision came afterKinich inGenshin Impactwas recast in favor of Jacob Takanashi. Despite Takanashi being a resident of Japan, and thus not part of the ongoing work refusal, Boettger and a few other voice actors viewed him as a scab. Their comments were found to be rude and unprofessional by some members of theGenshin Impactcommunity, causing a rift to form between HoYoverse fans and supporters of SAG-AFTRA. This divide continued to deepen, ultimately culminating in Boettger’s announcement to quit as the voice of Paimon.
Another reason why Corina Boettger appears to be quitting the role of Paimon is allegedly due to a lack of payment. It’s important to remember that this isn’t the first time Boettger has had this issue, and HoYoverse even stepped in to provide back pay, as well as move the voice actor from Formosa to SIDE. Given that SAG-AFTRA refused to sign the “best and last” offer against the wishes of many voice actors –such as Allegra Clark, who voicesBeidou inGenshin Impact,HoYoverse is set to make some heavy choices in the coming months.
