cjmelendez_Guy Cihi, the original voice and mocap actor for Silent Hill 2’s James Sunderland has released a statement to fans and Konami. The whole ordeal surrounds Guy Cihi, and Konami for the re-release of Silent Hill 2 in the Silent Hill: HD Collection, and the change of voiceovers.
Guy claims that he never received a contract stating his performance will be used again. He also states that it was all verbal, and a future attempt to get him to sign a contract was done. He goes on to say that California law states that videogame voice actors must consent to their performances being reused, something he feels did not get respected.
Later in his letter, Guy waives any rights he has to his performance to Konami for the sake of the fans so that they may enjoy both voiceovers – if the company sees fit to include them.
How Guy’s issue affected the entire recasting of Silent Hill 2 and 3 is not clearly seen. In a statement by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, the voice director of the Silent Hill: HD Collection, she says the recasting was indeed due to Guy Cihi’s legal matter between he and the company. In my interview with Troy Baker, the new voice actor for James, Troy discusses the matter as well.
This is a big, confusing mess, and let’s hope that this is the end of it. Hopefully fans will be treated with an option to switch between both the old and new voice tracks. If Konami even needed Guy’s permission to do so is something we probably won’t find out. There are too many factors, and no real way for fans to know exactly what has been happening behind the scenes.
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