Renowned voice actress Jennifer Hale recently revealed that she was paid only $1,200 for her part as Naomi Hunter in the 1998 classic video game, Metal Gear Solid.

Despite the game's widespread success, selling over seven million copies and grossing between $176 million to $270 million according to various reports, Hale's compensation remained comparatively meager.

Hale shared her experience on the My Perfect Console podcast and expressed her hopes for video game voice actors to start earning residuals.

The timing of Hale's revelation aligns with the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) members voting in favor of a video game strike. The strike can be initiated if negotiations with gaming firms fail to meet the artists' requirements, which according to current sentiment, is a likely scenario.

The stark contrast between Hale's payment and the revenue generated by Metal Gear Solid highlights the challenges in the modern voice-acting culture, as she pointed out, hoping for more equitable pay rates for voice actors in the future.

Hale expressed her desire for residual payments for games, favoring a system that respects indie developers and team budgets. Such a setup could allow voice actors to earn additional income if their featured game achieves significant success or gets redistributed.

In related news, fans of the Metal Gear series can look forward to the upcoming game: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1. The collection, featuring the trilogy of Metal Gear Solid games along with the original Metal Gear 1 and 2, comes with bonus materials like digital graphic novels and a screenplay book. The Master Collection is set to launch on multiple platforms, including PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC on October 24.