Genshin Impactcould be replacing its biggest role sooner than expected, as a recent leak allegedly shares Paimon’s new voice with the rest of the community. Despite being a non-union project, it’s fair to say that the SAG-AFTRA strike affectedGenshin Impactin a major way. Many of its voice actors entered a collective work refusal with HoYoverse, either to obtain concrete AI guarantees or to flip the project into going union. While theGenshin Impactcommunity was initially supportive of the voice actors and their plight, public opinion soured following the recast of Kinich in Version 5.5.
At the heart of this tide-turning moment lies Corina Boettger, the original voice actor of Paimon for the English localization. Boettger publicly denounced Jacob Takanashi, the new voice actor of Kinich, for replacing John Patneaude. ManyGenshin Impactplayers found Boettger’s comments harsh and unfair towards Takanashi, as the situation began to escalate into open hostility between the two camps. Following months of controversy, Boettger publicly announced that they would be stepping down from being thevoice of Paimon inGenshin Impactuntil HoYoverse signed the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement.
As a Chinese company, HoYoverse was not only unable to sign the agreement without breaking Chinese laws, but it was also not officially part of the SAG-AFTRA strike to begin with. As a result, Corina’s announcement effectively meant that HoYoverse would need to look for a replacement, and if arecent soundbite leak assembled by Jelenais to be believed, Paimon may be getting a new voice in Version 5.7. It’s important to note that leaks should always be taken with a grain of salt. Whereas datamining revealed thatKeqing inGenshin Impactwas being recast in Version 5.7, it could not confirm the same for Paimon.
Genshin Impact Could Be Recasting Paimon in Version 5.7
The two soundbites of Paimon present a voice that’s very similar to what players have come to expect fromGenshin Impact’s mascot – a high-pitched, fairy-like tone. However, unlike Boettger’s performance, this new Paimon seems to have a more melodic quality to her voice. Player impressions have been overwhelmingly positive thus far, but until the situation is officially clarified by HoYoverse, it’s important for fans to temper their expectations. On a more positive note, the voice ofAether inGenshin Impactrecently confirmed that he would be coming back after Version 5.8.
FollowingSAG-AFTRA’s tentative agreementto end the strike,Genshin Impactplayers can expect more voice actors to return to their respective roles. However, they should also be prepared for others to continue their collective work refusal, asGenshin Impactis a non-union project, and thus unbound by the outcome of the SAG-AFTRA strike. A notable example of these is Sean Chiplock, the voice of Diluc inGenshin Impact, who claims that he will only return to the role if HoYoverse can guarantee stronger AI protections in his contract. While China has strong AI protections signed into law, some voice actors are worried this only applies to Chinese citizens.
