Why don't more celebs take jobs in video games?

[Kane99]

There isn't that many celeb involvement with video games. There has been of course some actors making the jump to gaming. Keanu Reeves was in Cyberpunk 2077, Bruce Willis in Apocalypse. Michael Jackson in Moonwalker, Samuel L. Jackson in GTA San Andreas and so on. I'm not saying celebs don't show up or do voice acting in games, but it feels relatively small in terms of how many celebs have worked in games. 

Why don't we see more celebs taking roles in video games? Is it a money thing? I know voice actors don't make a ton, so maybe that's partly why. 

[Head_Hunter]

I'll go search for moon Walker to play that game in which Michael Jackson features in as the main protagonist. I love Michael songs, full of inspiration, I was a little bit when he died in the year 2009. 

[Reality vs Adventure]

They probably don't want to see their reputation abused by getting tea bagged or beat up a million times. If there were more of them in games, it would probably boost the gaming industry. But then again, it would take away from customizing your own characters which is far better. I doubt they would pay a celebrity just to have their character as an option. And we sure don't need to be forced to play someone we don't want. But we can dream of some funny as hell scenarios like Jim Carrey playing Trevor in GTA5. 🤣

[Crazycrab]

On 12/20/2021 at 7:07 PM, Kane99 said:

Why don't we see more celebs taking roles in video games? Is it a money thing? I know voice actors don't make a ton, so maybe that's partly why. 

 

I've always suspected that's why.  Top Hollywood stars could earn upwards of $20 million for six weeks if principal photography.  A typical game publisher could spend that on a full team animators, a performance capture team + equipment, several mo-cap/voice actors and still have some change left. So unless it's a passion project for the actor or a very small role a top paid actor is unlikely to agree.

[m76]

Celebs should stay away from videogames, we don't need them, their presence in my opinion is detrimental to games.

For example Cyberpunk 2077 was extensively re-written to give an earlier entrance and more significant role to Keanu Reeves. Which I think has made the game much worse than it could've been had they stuck to the original pacing of the story.

Celebs are bad for gaming because:

1. They take a huge paycheck that could be better utilized to make the actual game better.
2. They stifle artistic freedom because artists instead of creating any character they imagine they have to re-create the celebrity's likeness in the game
3. They hinder writing, because characters played by celebrities, get preferential treatment by the writers.
4. They prevent modding, because most celebrities would not allow people to use their likeness in any non pre-approved way.
5. They take jobs from dedicated voice actors who have been in the industry long before gaming become a multi billion dollar industry.

While the advantage of having them is singular:

• Marketing value through name recognition

That's it.

Edited December 22, 2021 by m76

[Boblee]

On 12/22/2021 at 11:56 PM, m76 said:

Celebs should stay away from videogames, we don't need them, their presence in my opinion is detrimental to games.

For example Cyberpunk 2077 was extensively re-written to give an earlier entrance and more significant role to Keanu Reeves. Which I think has made the game much worse than it could've been had they stuck to the original pacing of the story.

Celebs are bad for gaming because:

1. They take a huge paycheck that could be better utilized to make the actual game better.
2. They stifle artistic freedom because artists instead of creating any character they imagine they have to re-create the celebrity's likeness in the game
3. They hinder writing, because characters played by celebrities, get preferential treatment by the writers.
4. They prevent modding, because most celebrities would not allow people to use their likeness in any non pre-approved way.
5. They take jobs from dedicated voice actors who have been in the industry long before gaming become a multi billion dollar industry.

While the advantage of having them is singular:

• Marketing value through name recognition

That's it.

They take more money and helps the publishers make more money from the game in return which leaves only the gamers bleeding more. 

[Heatman]

The money factor is always going to be very big challenge for the gaming company. The figures those celebrities will ask for can either make or break the company. Look at how much Cyberpunk 2077 cost for its development. 

[Empire]

If it pays them well, they woill do it 😛 Samuel L Jackson as Tenpenny in San Andreas added alot to that game, that performance was great and I really loved it. Celebrity or not, he was the perfect fit for the character. I never hear people complain about Samuel Jackson as Tenpenny or Ray Liotta in vice city or the multitude of celebrities in New Vegas, but I do see them complain about Keither Sutherland in MGS V. The reason for this is because he replaced a beloved voice actor only to say like 10 lines.

But end of the day I gather that it's not everyones cup of tea and most of the time, it would cost far more to hire them rather then a normal person off the streets.

[Boblee]

20 hours ago, Empire said:

If it pays them well, they woill do it 😛 Samuel L Jackson as Tenpenny in San Andreas added alot to that game, that performance was great and I really loved it. Celebrity or not, he was the perfect fit for the character. I never hear people complain about Samuel Jackson as Tenpenny or Ray Liotta in vice city or the multitude of celebrities in New Vegas, but I do see them complain about Keither Sutherland in MGS V. The reason for this is because he replaced a beloved voice actor only to say like 10 lines.

But end of the day I gather that it's not everyones cup of tea and most of the time, it would cost far more to hire them rather then a normal person off the streets.

I'm very certain that the cost factor of hiring them is not a wise business idea because on the long run, it might not be beneficial to the company. Yes, I know they might pull some fans over to the game but not all fans loves the same celebrity. 

[Heatman]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:50 AM, Empire said:

If it pays them well, they woill do it 😛 Samuel L Jackson as Tenpenny in San Andreas added alot to that game, that performance was great and I really loved it. Celebrity or not, he was the perfect fit for the character. I never hear people complain about Samuel Jackson as Tenpenny or Ray Liotta in vice city or the multitude of celebrities in New Vegas, but I do see them complain about Keither Sutherland in MGS V. The reason for this is because he replaced a beloved voice actor only to say like 10 lines.

But end of the day I gather that it's not everyones cup of tea and most of the time, it would cost far more to hire them rather then a normal person off the streets.

Everything is all about maximizing profit making for them. So, if it's not a good deal to work with celebrities, they will step away from such arrangement. 

[Justin11]

Samuel L. Jackson did his awesome part when presented the chance in GTA S.A, I enjoyed that game, one of the memory of Rockstar GTA series game of all-time for me. Not all celebrities get aquatinted with gaming, some prefer other projects. 

[Withywarlock]

I have to agree with all the reasons @m76 mentions. There's no greater argument against celebrity involvement than how The Elder Scrolls Online panned out at launch. Not even Sir Michael Gambon could save it. There are exceptions to the rule; @Justin11 rightly points out how good a job Samuel L. Jackson did despite (or because of) the corny script, but then there's some celebrities who have distinct voices who lend themselves better to voice work.

As to why it happens it's probably because they're too expensive and require too much time to work into the game. I think video games have plenty of room to make their own celebrities, especially with voice talent and motion capture actors.

[Heatman]

As for as I'm concerned, to hell with making the celebrities a priority because there are good options out there that's going to do a better job and cost less. 

[Boblee]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:30 AM, Justin11 said:

Samuel L. Jackson did his awesome part when presented the chance in GTA S.A, I enjoyed that game, one of the memory of Rockstar GTA series game of all-time for me. Not all celebrities get aquatinted with gaming, some prefer other projects. 

And most of them believe that it's their profession to get into any kind of acting but we all know that it's all about the money for them. Some even suck on the job. 

[Heatman]

On 5/8/2022 at 9:30 AM, Justin11 said:

Samuel L. Jackson did his awesome part when presented the chance in GTA S.A, I enjoyed that game, one of the memory of Rockstar GTA series game of all-time for me. Not all celebrities get aquatinted with gaming, some prefer other projects. 

Samuel L. Jackson is one my favorite actors and he did well in GTA S.A. It's part of the reason why I enjoyed playing the game. I have played it at least 4x.