John Helldiver VA Is In Trouble and Johan Pilestedt Is Doing Everything He Can To Help

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John Helldiver VA Is In Trouble and Johan Pilestedt Is Doing Everything He Can To Help

The use of AI-driven technology is becoming quite common nowadays and as a result, artists feel threatened as industry giants could misuse their work. Last year, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) initiated a strike due to disagreements over the terms of a new labor contract. The Actors’ Union strike ended in November 2023. However, the union’s voice actors and motion capture artists are still on strike to revolt against American video game companies.

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One of the artists who is currently on strike is Craig Lee Thomas, who voiced John Helldiver in Arrowhead Game Studios’ Helldivers 2. Johan Pilestedt, Chief Creative Officer of Arrowhead, recently revealed on his social media account that he supports Thomas in his battle against popular video game companies.

Johan Pilestedt supports the voice actor of John Helldiver

In a recent X post, Johan Pilestedt, the CCO of Arrowhead Game Studios, revealed that he had a conversation with Craig Lee Thomas, the voice actor of John Helldiver in Helldivers 2. Pilestedt supports voice actors, stating that they deserve control over their own creative output and have the right to earn passive income from licensed VO.

I spoke to

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(John Helldiver) on voice acting and AI. Actors deserve control over their own creative output. If they want to earn passive income from licensed VO – fine! If they want to create unique performances – fine! It should be their individual consent, right?

— Pilestedt (@Pilestedt)

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Pilestedt also added that voice actors should also be able to create unique performances. Since Helldivers 2 is a live-service game, the company needs to come to an agreement with Thomas since he will be required to lend his voice in the future.

In recent years, particularly after 2020, video game companies have extensively used generative AI to create content for their games. This was an attempt to reduce labor costs and increase productivity by using AI instead of human performers. Now, the union is seeking a better and safer contract that will keep their jobs secure.

Helldivers 2 has made a strong comeback

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Helldivers 2 (Image via Arrowhead Game Studios)

It makes sense why artists are seeking higher pay because the use of AI significantly brings down the development cost of video games. Video games are quite popular and help video game developers in generating massive revenues. For example,

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has revealed that Helldivers 2 has generated roughly $1.3 billion since its release.

This number could’ve been a lot less if Arrowhead didn’t change its strategy. It is one of the few studios that take players’ feedback seriously, and that is what saved the game from dying. Sony’s involvement almost ruined the game because it tried to impose the PSN account linking policy on PC players. The policy was revoked but the game’s reputation was heavily damaged. Fortunately, Arrowhead has managed to turn things around for now as the active player count is looking good once again.

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#John #Helldiver #Trouble #Johan #Pilestedt

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