Back in July 2023, a storm brewed in the world of Teyvat that had nothing to do with in-game bosses. Several high-profile English voice actors from Genshin Impact came forward with alarming claims: they hadn’t been paid for months, even as the game raked in billions of dollars. By 2026, the repercussions of that controversy are still reshaping conversations about labor rights, unionization, and accountability in the gaming industry.

Those who have traveled alongside Paimon know that the floating companion’s chirpy voice is inseparable from the Genshin Impact experience. Corina Boettger, the actor behind Paimon, revealed that they were owed thousands of dollars and struggling to pay rent.

“I am owed thousands of dollars,” Boettger wrote in a tweet at the time, adding that the missed payments forced them to skip two days of planned recording sessions. The project in question was making billions, and yet the very person who gives the game its signature voice couldn’t cover basic living expenses. Boettger didn’t directly blame game developer Hoyoverse, noting that it was unclear whether the fault lay with the company or the external studio handling voice-over work.

Other actors quickly amplified the alarm. Brandon Winckler, who lent his voice to multiple Genshin Impact characters, went public with an even more pointed accusation: recording studio Formosa was the bottleneck. After five unanswered emails, Winckler declared he was done waiting. He pointed out that while the game was pulling in around $86 million a month, actors were being made to wait four to eight months for checks that sometimes amounted to just a few hundred dollars.

“It isn’t much to ask,” he said, highlighting the absurdity of chasing small sums from a multi-billion-dollar franchise. Winckler also drew a sharp contrast between Formosa and another studio used by Hoyoverse, Rocket Sound – which handles English voice-over for Honkai: Star Rail – calling the latter a joy to work with. This comparison made it clear that the payment crisis wasn’t a Hoyoverse-wide problem but one tightly focused on how Formosa conducted business.

The conversation quickly pivoted to union protection. Boettger urged fans and developers alike to push for SAG-AFTRA contracts, pointing out that the situation likely wouldn’t have happened if the game had been a union production. Actor Kyle McCarley, known for voicing Yuzuru in Genshin Impact and for his advocacy around ethical voice-acting practices, added that Formosa handles both union and non-union projects – yet here, industry standards were being eroded.

“The cast had to fight for over a year just to get a two-hour minimum,” McCarley said. “Now this? Whole cast should follow Brandon’s lead here.” His words resonated across forums and social media, where fans expressed shock that the voice of Paimon, who speaks more lines than anyone else in the game, could be treated so poorly.

The community’s anger was palpable. One fan commented: “That’s absolutely crazy … Paimon has more dialogue than anybody in the game and to not pay them is wrong.” Another agreed that it was inexcusable for a studio generating such massive revenue to leave actors in financial distress. Memes, support threads, and calls for boycotts briefly flared up, though most players channeled their energy into amplifying the actors’ demands.

Hoyoverse eventually broke its silence on July 14, 2023. In a statement sent to GamesRadar+, the company expressed regret and emphasized that it valued everyone’s work. Crucially, the developer said it had already paid its recording studio on time and urged Formosa to pay the actors immediately. The company also mentioned it was exploring alternative solutions, a hint that Formosa’s role in future projects might be under review.

Now, three years later in 2026, the landscape has shifted noticeably. While Genshin Impact continues to thrive with new regions like Natlan and an ever-expanding roster of characters, the English voice-over production has seen structural changes. Industry insiders note that Rocket Sound has taken on a larger share of Hoyoverse’s projects, and more titles under the company’s umbrella have moved toward union agreements. The 2023 episode became a catalyst, forcing publishers to confront the messy reality of layered subcontracting.

For voice actors, the incident remains a chilling benchmark. It demonstrated that even the most profitable live-service games could be entangled in payment disputes if intermediaries failed to uphold their end of the deal. As a result, there’s been a noticeable push toward direct contracts between developers and actors, bypassing unreliable studios entirely. Union drives have also gained momentum, with SAG-AFTRA reporting a steady increase in video game signatories since late 2023.

Corina Boettger, who still voices Paimon, occasionally reflects on that difficult period during convention panels. They often emphasize that the struggle wasn’t about anger but about basic dignity – a paycheck for work already performed. Brandon Winckler has since returned to voice acting under union contracts and advocates for transparent payment timelines. Formosa, meanwhile, has faced reputational hits and reportedly restructured its game audio division, though it still operates today.

The legacy of this dispute is woven into how players and creators talk about labor in gaming. It’s no longer unusual to see fans ask whether a game is union when a new gacha title is announced. In 2026, that cultural shift – born from the sight of Paimon’s voice actor struggling to pay rent – feels like one small but permanent victory for the people behind the pixels. 🎙️💸✨