HD Collection PS3 Exclusive (Hah! 360 too) /New VAs

[rehunk88]

ok i heard the new voices and .... okay they have now ruined silent hill 2....

[Beanovsky Durst]

Greedy Konami fucks. The profit they will make if they do keep the original voiceovers or not it's enough to pay these guys what they deserve.

[Smiley]

We get to hear Monica's side of the story in this interview.

It's confirmed now. Guy was the outspoken one, but he certainly wasn't the only actor Konami had problems with.

Silent Haven: I want to ask you your thoughts on this whole Guy Cihi situation. Is he alone in this whole not wanting to sign over mocap and voice rights or were you and David and Donna not willing to sign any documents either? Also what is this business about no contracts?

Monica Taylor Horgan: Well… yes they contacted me within the last year asking for a waiver release for any and all future releases of the game. No there were no contracts at the time. I don’t think anyone realized what was going to come of the game…the genre was relatively new (horror) and Japan does things differently than the US with on camera and voice talent. Konami was *very* shady about the work we did. It was ONLY to be released in the US and ONLY for one game… it has gone on to be released in a dozen countries, and several re-release versions including one that contains a “making of” which actually contains our likenesses… This is a BIG no-no… We have little or no recourse since the game was created in Japan…out of jurisdiction here…which is why they wanted releases from us—because the new HD version is from Konami USA. MUCH stricter laws protecting talent of course here. So they just recast it…I don’t think they realized what a hailstorm they were creating. It’s a shame really—because it’s the fans who miss out most. I never did sign the waiver and I think it’s great that Guy is standing up and shouting. I hope he (and fans) are successful protecting the original at least. And if Konami can clean up their act in the process and treat those who make them their fortunes better, then it’s a great thing.

[Canas Renvall]

Guy is by far one of the coolest guys ever now. Seriously, he has so much of my respect for this. Thank you Guy.

[Smiley]

Wow Guy is really looking to sway the minds at Konami to reconsider adding the original voices back in. He's even asking which convention he should attend so he can set up a booth for Silent Hill fans. Someone already offered to make a petition which Guy supports, but wants fans to remain civil about the whole thing.

Here's some updated comments from Guy:

"Konami will need to hear from more than one thousand fans before they reconsider and do the right thing. It will cost them nothing to restore the original voices to future releases so fans can hear it both ways. Everybody wins, including Konami. Everyone needs to remain civil but be persistent. Fans have more power than they know."

"The decision maker is here in Tokyo. I'm trying to reach out to him..."

"Like I said, be civil and persistent. Nobody likes being backed into a corner. I'm trying to get to a win-win-win for everyone."

"If I were to attend only one convention and throw a party for SH2 fans, which con should it be?"

"No, I mean a real existing con, preferably one where Konami has a booth. I'll set up my own Forever Silent booth, and I will definitely throw a big private party for all the fans who show up."

"I looked at the E3 booth requirements and sponsor affiliates. I don't see anything but $$$ standing between me and a booth at the 2012 E3 show. I wrote to them for a price list."

"And it's close to Monica's house. She'll like that. (Shhh... it's a secret!)"

[BBboy20]

Apparently he said that I'm his 800th "friend" on Facebook and that he won't forget that.

[Smiley]

"Amazing as it may seem, neither I nor to my knowledge any of the other voice actors involved in the creation of Silent Hill 2 received written agreements for our work."

"I call on Konami to release the HD versions of SH2, and all subsequent re-releases, with the original vocal tracks intact."

"It’s always been about the thoughtless way that those involved in the production have been treated. The reuse of my material without asking me"

Assuming everything he says is true, I like how he just ignores the rights of the other VAs involved by calling for Konami to use the originals. Exactly what he complains about.

The closest thing I could find on the matter is this comment.


"Donna continues to work with Konami and I believe she has already signed a release. Dave was in line with me and has not signed anything that I know of. I don't know how Monica reacted. She was the heart of the original voice perfomances IMHO, and so I hope she will agree and let it go if she hasn't already..."
Guy Cihi

When has Konami ever blamed him? I cannot recall them saying anything, his replacement VA blamed him though claiming he doesn't understand VA rights.

Troy and Mary Elizabeth are going off what they were told. I'm sure it's just someone at Konami.

And while I'm on here I was just reading this quote from Lisa Garland's voice actress in the original Silent Hill.

"The scoop is when I did Silent Hill I was only paid $500 flat rate. They stole my voice for SH3 and my agent threatened to sue and got me a couple grand and that’s it. There are no residuals for videogames -never have been and it’s a major bummer. Video game companies are out only for themselves and to make money. The first budget they cut is voiceover. I have been taken advantage of, knowingly, by many videogame companies, but I’d rather work for a small amount than not work at all."
Thessaly Lerner (Voice actor for Lisa Garland in the first Silent Hill)

[Dracarys]

When has Konami ever blamed him? I cannot recall them saying anything, his replacement VA blamed him though claiming he doesn't understand VA rights.

[Darkmoon]

Konami has been blaming him, and pretty much solely him, for this whole clusterfuck. Konami has never said the others are part of this whole legal mess, so now that he's willing to give away his rights to the stuff, Konami should be able to go ahead with the old voice track. According to what they've been saying, anyway. If they're telling the truth, Guy Cihi signing off will allow them to go ahead, regardless of the rest of the voice cast, since Konami has put the blame squarely on him.

...of course, if this situation actually did include the rest of the cast, as Guy mentioned, and Konami doesn't have the right to there voice stuff they still can't do it, but they can't blame him either. Oh no! They'll need a new scape goat to cover there legal blunder. Let's seem them blame it on Akira Yamaoko or something equally exciting.

[Dracarys]

"Amazing as it may seem, neither I nor to my knowledge any of the other voice actors involved in the creation of Silent Hill 2 received written agreements for our work."

"I call on Konami to release the HD versions of SH2, and all subsequent re-releases, with the original vocal tracks intact."

"It’s always been about the thoughtless way that those involved in the production have been treated. The reuse of my material without asking me"


Assuming everything he says is true, I like how he just ignores the rights of the other VAs involved by calling for Konami to use the originals. Exactly what he complains about.

[Beanovsky Durst]

Argh, I swear to my Dark Overlords, if Konami ignores this and keep trying to pour the blame on Guy Cihi for this bullshit I will punch them in the face. And probably not buy any of there games new again, if they annoy me much further. I can get all your shit second hand, Konami, just like I do with Capcom.

And this is how they will listen. Kicking them in the wallet, not the balls.

[ylj619]

It felt odd to hear the new VA. doesn't feel the same. guess i was too used to the original VA :/

[Darkmoon]

Argh, I swear to my Dark Overlords, if Konami ignores this and keep trying to pour the blame on Guy Cihi for this bullshit I will punch them in the face. And probably not buy any of there games new again, if they annoy me much further. I can get all your shit second hand, Konami, just like I do with Capcom.

[Smiley]

Some pretty powerful words huh? Sadly as I've told Guy I do not see Konami responding to this.

Knowing how problematic things have been we can expect Konami to chalk Guy's response up as "too little; too late". We already heard Troy Baker and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn lay blame on Guy for the recast. Whether this is what the people at Konami told them or not is anyone's guess.

Frankly I don't buy it, and the simple fact is because they recast the voices for Silent Hill 2 AND Silent Hill 3. Why would they do that if their conflict was over one voice actor? The only reason I can gather is that someone in Konami did botch up here, and now all the people involved with 2 and 3 are in the same legal position as Guy. They have the right to sue over residuals for their performances being used outside Sony's playstation 2 if they so desired. But since Guy is the most outspoken about it they're placing fault with him. To me, this is wrong if that's the case.

Konami should own up to their mistakes and seek settlement instead of ignoring the issue. I would like to know what Heather Morris and the others think as well. Guy is willing to settle with no financial gain. The problem is if Konami owes to more than one person then Guy waiving his rights will still be meaningless because they would have to have consent from all the other talented artists as well. An impossible feat in some cases since the voice actor for Douglas in Silent Hill 3 passed away back in 2003. If there's any way around it I'm sure Konami would rather save themselves the effort and spend the money to replace each individual actor.

[Beanovsky Durst]

**I do not wish to double post, but this deserves its own personal spot in the thread. Here's Guy Cihi's open statement to Konami regarding the HD Collection.**



Open letter to Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
by Guy Cihi on Sunday, August 28, 2011 at 8:32pm

[There has been a great deal of discussion and speculation about the decision to recast the voice acting for the forthcoming Silent Hill 2 re-release. Certain comments and accusations have been made and the situation has become a mess. I issue this statement with hope that it will help set things right.]


To Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.


Amazing as it may seem, neither I nor to my knowledge any of the other voice actors involved in the creation of Silent Hill 2 received written agreements for our work. All I have is a verbal agreement based on the various negotiations that took place between me and Konami’s representatives. I was told that I would receive a written contract but I never did. I invite anyone claiming the existence of a contract to produce a copy of it. My verbal agreements with Konami management covered the release of SH2 on the PlayStation 2 consoles. No other console releases were discussed between us, and none was agreed to.


Californian law which, under the circumstances, governs the agreement between Konami and me provides that voice actors in videogames retain all rights for reproductions and re-uses of their vocal recordings and motion-capture work unless the artist specifically conveys those rights to a second party. The implications ought to be clear enough regarding the releases and reuses of my performances on consoles other than PlayStation 2. Obviously Konami’s legal department agreed with the strength of my position or they would not have supported the significant expense undertaken to rerecord voices in advance of the HD collection re-release. It would have been much easier if someone responsible at Konami had simply talked to me and sought to resolve this amicably.


Recently some things have been said by people acting as if they are part of the Konami organization, for example, that an attempt was made to reach out to me to help get things straightened out. This isn’t true. After the production work wrapped, only one person connected to Konami has ever attempted contact me and that was Michael Ranja, Director of Licensing at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in California. On October 6, 2010 Mr. Ranja sent me the following message: “Per the voice acting done for the videogame Silent Hill 2 (your role as James Sunderland), I understand that in the past it was agreed that Konami would purchase and own all rights to the voice acting. As we don’t have paperwork for this, would it be possible for you to fill out the attachment and email or fax back to me?” His second email, and the last time I have ever heard from Konami, was on October 22, 2010 when Mr. Ranja replied to my email saying that he would do his best to contact me again shortly regarding a settlement.


Let me be clear about something: my problem with Konami has never been about money. It’s always been about the thoughtless way that those involved in the production have been treated. The reuse of my material without asking me and without having a written agreement that provides for it is one example. Another example is how my contributions to the game, and my face, were purposefully erased from the ‘making of’ video. Why was that done? These are some of the issues I asked Konami to settle with me on before making any new agreements. To this day Konami has never offered any explanation.


Like everyone else, I feel it is a real shame we have come to this point. The original cast, writers, and directors of Silent Hill 2 all felt we were making something great, but I don’t think any of us realized just how successful and respected it would become. I am eternally grateful to have been selected by Team Silent to portray James Sunderland. I am equally grateful to the dedicated SH2 fans who enlightened me to fact that SH2 is much more than just an intellectual property to be bought, sold and repackaged.


After thinking it through carefully I have come to realize that I am unwilling to be part of any legal barrier or excuse which prevents a new generation from experiencing Silent Hill 2 the way the original Team Silent created it. The only way to do this appears to be for me to relinquish all my rights to Konami and so I hereby completely waive all rights to my motion capture and vocal performances in the Silent Hill 2 production without demand for additional consideration. Have your lawyer send me the proper documents required so that we can put this fiasco behind us.


I call on Konami to release the HD versions of SH2, and all subsequent re-releases, with the original vocal tracks intact. If you desire, I welcome you to include the new vocal tracks so that fans can choose which version they prefer.


Sincerely,

Guy Cihi

August 2011

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do things right FOR THE FANBASE. My admiration for Mr. Cihi. Now let's see how Konami plays on their court.