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Rockstar says 'hell no' to Niko voice actor in Lost and Damned
When recently posited with a query as to whether or not Michael Hollick, the voice actor who provided the pipes for GTA IV's Niko Bellic, would make a reprise appearance in the title's upcoming DLC expansion, The Lost and Damned, a Rockstar exec responded rather emphatically -- "Hell no!" This could be because Bellic, while making a few cameos in the expansion, isn't a huge focus in the storyline. Unlike the other major characters of The Lost, Bellic's dialogue can easily be recreated from the original game.However, the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks portion of the response could possibly be due to comments Hollick made in a New York Times article in May of last year. In said article, Hollick expressed disappoinment that his union failed to negotiate anything more than a $100,000 contract for his voice work -- a paltry sum when compared to the game's total sales figures. Then again, that's just speculation. It could just be that the queried party was all hopped up on caffeine when he answered the question, or possibly that he possesses a low-grade case of tourette's.
Niko's voice earned about $100,000 from GTA IV
The New York Times has an interesting piece this morning about how actor Michael Hollick earned about $100,000 for playing GTA IV protagonist Niko Bellic. Had the actor done the role for almost any other medium than video games, he would have received very generous residuals and royalties off the title, which made $500 million in its first week. The piece basically explores how all the actors in GTA IV would be rolling in dough had the work not been in video games.Of course, if the actor gets residuals, does the artist who "made" Niko get a cut? Although the actors provided voices, and apparently motion-capture, what about all the other people that worked on the creation of these characters? People aren't buying these games because of the actors, they're getting it because of the title and its associated gameplay. In time, this issue will probably come to a head (especially as the industry grows), but for now it comes off like actors whining while everyone else is getting a similarly bum deal. Maybe it's time the video game writers, artists and developers started complaining too? Union, union, union!
Niko Bellic has second career as folk singer
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/GTA_IV_s_Niko_Bellic_is_also_a_folk_singer'; We imagine many of you are probably suffering Grand Theft Auto IV withdrawal, having rushed through the main campaign only to learn that Niko Bellic is, in fact, the great-grandfather of both Tommy Vercetti and Lance Vance. Luckily for you, we've got a great way to comfort yourself: Letting the music of the notorious hooker beater Niko soothe your savage craving. You can hear it right now on the MySpace page of voice actor Michael Hollick, the man who lent his larynx to Rockstar for GTA IV's lead. We'd suggest "Out of the Blue" to really complete the Niko crooning vibe. Just don't blame us when you can't take him quite as seriously when he's mowing down pedestrians.
