By Keith Brunson
Today we meet one of the voices behind the video game “Genshin Impact.” https://genshin.hoyoverse.com/en/home The game is the third biggest-earning video game worldwide in the last 12 months. In China alone, the game has earned $577 million and $2 billion worldwide, according to App analysis Sensor Tower. And one of the voices behind it is Stephanie Southerland. “It’s very humbling.” Says Stephanie. “I had no idea when voicing that I was involved in a show that would become a worldwide success.”
Stephanie Southerland provides video game voice acting
for the wildly popular Genshin Impact video game.
https://www.stephaniesoutherland.com/
Stephanie started in voice-over just like anyone else. Following college, the 35-year-old BFA graduate in musical theatre with eyes on Broadway departed that dream and went to Los Angeles. The relocation to LA gave Stephanie an “at-home feeling” because of the creative environment LA offers talented people. But no amount of positive imagination can predict THIS kind of success. It’s a video game phenomenon. At this writing, Genshin Impact ranks as one of the most profitable games in the world, and Stephanie is a key player. “But you aren’t aware of it, AS it’s happening,”
Being a part of a megahit video game is like winning the lottery for a VO artist. The popularity leads to a lot of attention, but the sheer fact of being a part of a worldwide hit game is so rare that only the very few can say their voice is on such a game. “I know my sound, but I would have no idea that my voice could generate what it has with Genshin Impact because it keeps expanding,” Stephanie tells me, “it just continues to grow in popularity.” Comparable to Genshin Impact would be the 2016 game “Clash Royal,” which grossed over $2 billion. Any way you look at it, Stephanie herself is now part of a formula in video games that has created a buzz for the A-List voiceover actor. “And work begets work,” she says.
Good voice acting has a dramatic effect on the success of a video game. In 2000, the producer accepted bad voice acting. But producers learned that a convincing voice would attract more of an audience. And that makes the voice behind the scenes vital to the game’s success. Now with the industry fully matured, casting the perfect voice can affect not only the popularity of the game but its’ bottom line as well. The perfect voice increases the power of storytelling. It attracts More of an audience, so the audience can immerse themselves into believing what they are seeing and hearing. So, to tell a believable story, the choice of voice casting determines how well the user will believe the game and tell others about the game they found.
These elements of success were first discovered with “Minecraft,” which sold 238 million copies across all platforms. It was first released in 2009 by Swedish game developer Mojang Studios. Since then, it continues to be a world leader in revenue with new editions. Here are some of Stephanie’s other credits in the video game genre.
But video games were not where Stephanie’s success began. Being trained in musical theater, Stephanie used her gift of singing and grabbed work in singing. Her work is impeccable, and just listening to it, one can easily see her talent in singing coming to life.
“I always loved music,” she says, “and voiceover allowed me a chance to thrive using my ability to sing.”
Singing led inadvertently led to narration.
And narration led to animation, which excelled on all levels.
This led to voice imaging or promo voice work which stung the listener with a memorable impression.
But back to video games. Stephanie is acutely aware of how she comes across. “I know my voice.” This translates to an upfront understanding of where she can succeed and how to do it. “I found my voice through vocal classes, which I continue to take once a month.” Continuing education is a barometer of how Stephanie can improve and never become typecast. “I absolutely remain involved with formal study at least once a month. I get rejected 20-plus times a month, but I continue to grow in all voiceover genres, from narration to famous video games.” There are ups, and there are downs, “but in voiceover, you can excel at ANY genre when you study,” There’s no doubt Stephanie concludes, “In voiceover, the world truly is our oyster.”
