Troy Baker, an acclaimed and beloved voice actor known for his work throughout the video game industry, outraged fans after announcing his participation in a non-fungible token (NFT) project.
Baker revealed his collaboration with Voiceverse NFT, a company specializing in audio NFTs, on Twitter. “I’m partnering with @VoiceverseNFT to explore ways where together we might bring new tools to new creators to make new things, and allow everyone a chance to own & invest in the IP’s they create,” writes Baker. “We all have a story to tell. You can hate. Or you can create. What’ll it be?” The announcement was met by an overwhelmingly negative response as many accused the actor of “cashing in” on a form of crypto technology that many consider a scam.
I’m partnering with @VoiceverseNFT to explore ways where together we might bring new tools to new creators to make new things, and allow everyone a chance to own & invest in the IP’s they create.
We all have a story to tell.
You can hate.
Or you can create.
What’ll it be? pic.twitter.com/cfDGi4q0AZ— Troy Baker (@TroyBakerVA) January 14, 2022
I’m sorry but Troy Baker getting into NFTs is the most obvious fucking thing. There is no one in games more primed to become an NFT Douchebag than Troy Baker.
— Dia Lacina (@dialacina) January 14, 2022
NFTs like this are nearly explicitly scams and Troy Baker is not being creative for taking part in a scam. Most of these NFT scams depend on endorsement of famous people. NFT projects are hot with celebrities like Troy because it is easy to turn their fame into a quick buck. https://t.co/NMzrs0p97c
— Catlike Reflexxx (@VorpalFemme) January 14, 2022
Pretty crazy how Troy Baker is backing an NFT project specifically made to throw other VAs under the bus. Tho I guess that shouldn’t surprise me given how he was silent when Laura Bailey was being harassed for what her character did to his character in The Last of Us.
— Xavier Gordon ✊🏾 🏴☠️(758/1000) (@XavierGordon20) January 14, 2022
It’s gonna be hate on this one man, and there’s just so much to hate about it – including that you’re supporting AI voice acting tech that aims to completely wipe out the careers of many of your peers. And then, you know, all the usual unnecessary NFT bollocks.
— Ryan Brown 🎮 (@Toadsanime) January 14, 2022
Baker has yet to issue a follow-up statement regarding his original message but did briefly note that his partner company will not be making an NFT out his voice. As specified on its website, Voiceverse offers users “the world’s first voice NFTs” which it hopes to eventually integrate into crypto games and communities. Users that wish to mint an NFT of their voice will be able to use it “across the metaverse for real-time communication or for content creation.”
While Troy Baker’s announcement has stirred up controversy, the voice actor isn’t the first notable name in the video game industry to throw their hat into the NFT ring. Publisher Ubisoft was recently criticized after it announced that NFTs would be implemented in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, a decision that has seemingly yet to prove successful. In a similar vein, Square Enix was blasted by fans after announcing that it would be investing in crypto gaming in 2022, while Konami’s decision to celebrate Castlevania by hosting an NFT auction was similarly maligned by players.
Troy Baker is trending for shilling NFTs which is a good excuse to remember one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on Twitter pic.twitter.com/RxxTgo0Lru
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 14, 2022
I think the thing I dislike most about this Troy Baker situation is the blatantly manipulative language in the post.
“You can hate, or you can create” Frames the NFT debate in such a dishonest way.
People aren’t just “hating”. NFTs are genuinely harmful to our environment. pic.twitter.com/0V4kw6hF2G
— Kaden (@KallixVA) January 14, 2022
the way troy baker waited until 1am eastern to tweet about being an NFT shill is so fucking funny
— blahaj blast (@streamgoodfaith) January 14, 2022
troy, this is not about “hate.” nfts are unethical. they have a severe impact on the environment, and are creating a massive shortage in chips, computer parts, etc. do you know how nfts are mined? have you done research on any of this?
— mossball 🦋 (@NIMR1EL) January 14, 2022
Non-fungible tokens are a form of crypto technology that allows digital items to be authenticated by assigning them a unique serial number and receipt. NFTs have become notorious amongst denizens of the internet due to how much power is required to mint a single token with many citing them to be environmentally hazardous.
It’s not just the video game industry that’s adopting NFT technology. Comic book artist and writer Mike Mignola recently issued a statement warning fans about a collection of Hellboy artwork that was being sold as NFTs. The creator notes that any NFTs based on his IP are unauthorized and are being sold without his consent. Similarly, the official Twitter account of the late Stan Lee was recently used to market an NFT of Chakra, The Invincible, sparking outrage across social media.
Source: Twitter
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