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PEGI voice actor was only paid £170 as he reveals original recordings on TikTok-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro
Richard Wells, the voice actor behind the PEGI age rating in game trailers, has gone viral after joining TikTok.
![PEGI voice actor was only paid £170 as he reveals original recordings on TikTok-Adam Starkey-Entertainment – Metro](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/PEGI-voice-actor-1397.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024)
Richard Wells has blown up on TikTok (Picture: TikTok)
Richard Wells, the voice actor behind the PEGI age rating in game trailers, has gone viral after joining TikTok.
One of the most recognisable voices in video games has stepped into the limelight on social media and proven a surprise hit.
Richard Wells, who is known as the voice behind PEGI ratings at the start of game trailers, joined TikTok last week and has already amassed over 150,000 followers.
His first introductory post has racked up over 14 million views, where he explains that he’s been a professional voice actor for 40 years.
In a follow-up video, Wells responded to a fan who asked how much he was paid for the PEGI gig. ‘I actually did get paid €200 [£170] back in September 2009 and that’s all the money I ever made,’ he said. ‘But the result is I’ve got two million friends, which is great,’ in reference to the amount of likes on the video.
Wells, who said he’s going to call his TikTok followers ‘PEGIs’, thanked fans for their support and also expressed his own concerns over AI.
‘It’s OK for maybe hack jobs but anything that needs intent, emotion, emphasis – very often you hear stuff [by AI] and they put emphasis on the wrong word,’ Wells said. ‘So I have no intention of selling my voice to an AI package because, well, if you want me, you’ll get me.’
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In another video, the voice actor dug out the original September 2009 recording of the PEGI line, where he runs through every age rating from ‘PEGI 3’ to ‘PEGI 18’. You can check out the clip below.
The issue around AI voices in video games has become more prevalent in recent months, with some actors earlier this year criticising an agreement negotiated by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) regarding artificial intelligence. Some games have also used AI voices entirely, like recent shooter The Finals.
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