Skyrim Voice Acting - Most Expensive Game?

[Ka'shurio]

There are around 800 characters in the entire game, and to get a voice actor for every single character, with possibly an average of 50 lines, such that each character takes 1 hour to record, and another 1 or 2 more hours to rehearse might mean that Bethesda must have spent (500 voice actors) x (100 dollars per hour) x (3 hours) = $1500000 just for voice acting.

Isn't $1.5 million a bit too much for just the voice acting alone?

Edit: Sorry, I calculated wrongly. (800 characters) x (100 dollars per hour) x (3 hours) = $240000 not 2.4 million. Oh well, I scored only 405 / 800 for my SAT Math, I suck at calculating. Why didn't anyone spot this after 5 pages?

[Ka'shurio]

Wait I calculated wrongly: 800 x 100 x 3 = 300 x 800 = $2400000

2.4 million dollars? Even Modern Warfare 2 took only $1 million to make.

[hedgie_yozh]

They should have just paid Dwight Schultz all the money and had him do all the voices.

[VisciousFishes]

I think you're calulations are off by quite a bit. Considering they're probably contracted for a fee (including agancy fees) for the job and not by the hour and the fact that each voice actor plays a number of characters each - barring the main characters - the estimate should be adjusted.

This video from youtube which I found a few months ago may be of interest to you and your claculations. It's about a quarter hour long but it covers most of the voices.

http://youtu.be/1oyJNuhoIE4


Hope you enjoy and I hope that helps with your calculations.

[VisciousFishes]

Originally posted by hedgie_yozh:

They should have just paid Dwight Schultz all the money and had him do all the voices.

Cue Reg Barkley easter egg references.

I got another video and this one has references to loads of games not just Skyrim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1dDYnqUZ8E

Check out Parthurnaax near the end of the video. :)

[Nijn]

Did you know Sheogorath, Lucien Lachance, the Emperor Titus Mede II and Hermaeus Mora are all voiced by the same person? It's really weird, because they don't sound like each other at all.

[Hamsterbytes , bits and nibbles]

Think Robin Williams and other like him doing different voices. Several voice actors done many on Skyrim characters too. Sometimes I recognized the same voice use for different characters.

[Mister E]

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Voice_Actors

[Tx12001]

wait are you saying the whole game only took $2400000 last I checked it was $85000000

[mpd1958]

Originally posted by tx12001:

wait are you saying the whole game only took $2400000 last I checked it was $85000000

No. He was estimating that the voice acting cost 2.4 mill alone.

[hedgie_yozh]

So the male dark elf voice in Skyrim is Harbinger? Hee.

[DFH01]

83 actors were used for skyrim, source might be off.
http://www.statisticbrain.com/skyrim-the-elder-scrolls-v-statistics/

[MageThis]

A guy like the late Rich Little or Mel Blanc could probably do most of the voices.

[mpd1958]

If I'm not mistaken the voice of Legate Rieka (spelling?) and several other NPCs if that sexy redheaded spitfire "Commander Ivanova" from Babylon 5.

[Tx12001]

well remeber there are a fair few celebrity voices in it but i ask why do they want to get paid so much they should be honoured to be voiced in an ES game I know i would

[mpd1958]

Originally posted by Hamsterbytes , bits and nibbles:

Think Robin Williams and other like him doing different voices. Several voice actors done many on Skyrim characters too. Sometimes I recognized the same voice use for different characters.

That would be hilarious, Robin Williams as Maig the Liar!