The Genshin Impact community is infamous for many things. Somehow the community always finds itself in the middle of controversies ranging from a toxic fanbase to character, story elements, and gameplay. Even the company itself, HoYoverse (formerly known as miHoYo) was under fire a couple of years ago for its poorly designed first-year anniversary rewards.
What Happened to Elliot Gindi?
However, the hubbub surrounds one of the game’s English voices actor, Elliot Gindi who joined the Genshin Impact cast as the first 5* Dendro character (Tighnari) in the game during its August 2022 Sumeru update.
In a document publicized on Twitter by his former Twitch and Discord moderator, the voice actor was accused of sexual misconduct.
The document which includes some explicit material is made up of many fan conversations with Gindi during the previous year. As of writing this article, the document is no longer available for public access however you can check the screenshots in this link provided by @FretCore. The page has a warning for several explicit triggers. Proceed at your own risk.
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The fans shared their experiences, stating that even though they were minors at that time, the chats with Gindi turned sexual and left them feeling uncomfortable. According to their accounts, Gindi would try to make them feel special by promising to visit them and pressuring them into signing “contracts” that forbade them from dating other men.
One of the screenshots allegedly shows Gindi discussing problems with his moderators and claiming that he made sure not to leave a paper trail by wiping his Discord clean, while another shows him stating that he is “considering medication to make the pain go away”.
On February 7, Gindi posted a cryptic message on his personal Twitter account that omitted any references to the previously mentioned topics. The file was released to the public on February 8.
Two days after he posted a full apology on his account.
How Did the Genshin Community React?
@FretCore’s original document spread like wildfire among the community, not only to the players but those who worked as English VAs for other characters in the game. Well-known Genshin Impact content creators also voiced their sentiments over the issue. Many of the members of the English VA and content creators extended their sympathies to the victims and condemned Gindi’s behavior.
Zach Aguilar, who voices Aether, expressed his disappointment and anger on the issue. He posted a tweet stating that he no longer associates with Gindi and has removed streams with him.
Alejandro Saab, who voices Cyno, also voiced his thoughts about the issue. One of the screenshots from the document shows Gindi using Alejandro’s name to lure people.
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Here are other Genshin Impact English VAs’ tweets pertaining to the scandal, condemning Gindi’s behavior:
Beidou’s English VA tweeted about the relationship dynamics of the game’s fandom:
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Genshin Impact’s voice director tweeted this comment about the issue:
Kotaku reached out to HoYoverse and received the following comment on the issue:
“We deeply regret the harm and damage that happened to our fans, gamers, community, and anyone affected. Both our internal teams and external partners including our voice acting studio have been working together on an urgent solution. And we will keep you posted on the progress.”
HoYoverse
Previously, Li Yuanta, who voiced Oz in the game’s Chinese version was changed after a cheating controversy came to light. All of Oz’s lines in the game were changed.
A post from Genshin Impact‘s official Twitter announces updates about the issue stating that Gindi will no longer be voicing the character Tighnari in subsequent versions of the game due to a breach of contract and are presently communicating with the voice recording agency about casting and re-recording for the role.
HoYoverse, released Genshin Impact on September 28, 2020, on Android, iOS, Windows, and PS4 however a Nintendo Switch release is yet to be announced.
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