Several Voice Actors Leave The Sonic Franchise

Good gravy! Well, I’m glad Roger has brought clarity to the situation. And now that he’s done that, I’ll just say that I’m glad that he’s back for good. One thing that I’ve been wanting when it comes to Sonic VAs is consistency, so this is very welcome news in my book.

 

I have to be honest and say that whilst I understand Roger's frustration, his behaviour here was really unfair to TSS. They posted a rumour (a pretty valid one fromba source that would seem credible to almost anyone) and one that he could very well have been unable to comment on. They didn't state anything as fact. Roger jumped on and attacked them like they were the same click-bait trash as other social media channels. His feelings were warranted, but he went after the worst possible target and I think it was pretty poor form.

 

I can see both points here honestly. Even if it's likely he couldn't comment on the situation, a news source should still try to reach out to verify. TSS did reasonably (if incorrectly) assume he couldn't but they also didn't try to reach out to Brian or clearly state that his statements should be considered rumor. That sort of publicity without clarification or an attempt to verify can be damaging to a career and I understand his irritation, but I agree that he shouldn't have called them a "gossip site".

That said, TSS did apologize to Roger on Twitter and things seem to be resolved. I think it's best if we leave it at that.

 

It was an honest mistake and I don't think either party were wrong for reacting the way they did.

 

This isn’t the first time Roger’s come out to quash hearsay and rumours. I imagine he’s getting increasingly tired of doing so.

 

Well, it happens.
IIRC, TSS always points out that something is a Rumour and advises to take the info with a grain of salt. Good thing that they did apologize. While I think RCS comparison was unfair, I understand his feelings.

 

RUMOR: Roger Craig Smith QUITS SONIC over DRAMA???!!!!!

 

My inside sources say that Sonic Generations 2 is coming, but instead of classic crossing over with modern, SatAM Sonic teams up with OVA Sonic! That's where Super Monkey Ball announcer man got confused, right, because he knows RCS won't be on this project. Instead, both Jaleel White and Martin Burke are finally coming back! And I should preface this next bit by reminding everyone that this part's just a rumor, but apparently AoStH Sonic has been spotted in what might be a boss battle?

Get to work, SonicTubers! There are clicks to bait!

 

I can definitely see both sides, but I personally wouldn't have reached out to Roger for his side of the story. It shouldn't be down to him to dispell rumours like this, and the most respectful thing that TSS could have done would have been to not bother him by asking him to comment. He just took a real snipe at TSS in a way that felt really unjustified and rather mean.

Totally fair that he got annoyed. But totally unfair that he lashed out in the way that he did. I feel bad for the TSS staffers that didn't get an apology (at least not in public) sheet being accused of posting pure gossip and getting such a public dressing down. It's all water under the bridge now though, I guess. Roger is a cool guy. He just really missed the mark here. And I will leave it at that.

 

I don't think he missed the mark.

I can see his side of it and can't actually pick apart anything he said in the relevant responses that were unjustified or unreasonable, nor can I see any of the justifications on the other end as acceptable or sufficient. Roger called out something on the face that reflected a lack of scrutiny and regard for the person involved -himself- and lumped all outlets of any sort as secondary to his own dissemination where his projects are concerned. Additionally, I don't see where the TSS apologized to Roger or admitted any degree of fault, so an apology from him definitely isn't on the table of things that I expect or think is necessary. He even responded to a tweet relaying that the article was updated with appreciation despite the gloss over.

The most respectful and professional thing that could have been done by the TSS was to reach out for comment and/or confirmation or not relay what amounts to gossip about him at all. The end result of doing otherwise is needless speculation and spreading of something about a person that isn't necessarily true and potentially damaging socially otherwise. Considering it was an unverified claim that was allegedly about Roger himself -as posed by TSS- it's fair to say that he's one of the authorities on the matter and would at least have the right to be asked directly about it regardless of whether or not he'd refuse to comment or not. His explicit statement also makes it clear that he likely would have responded and that they didn't reach out to Brian to get clarification either, who Roger says that he's never met.

 

Got you covered: Relevant Tweet

As far as Brian's comments, I'm curious who he could be talking about in the Q&A. Note that when he says "Narrator" he seems to be referring to voice actors in general. He also says he was directly in touch with " [Sega's] main narrator for Sonic" who was a "really nice American gentleman" although Roger says he's never met, Brian. Bit of a stretch, but maybe he confused Roger with Ryan and this "last job" as Sonic & Tails R?

 

There's no apology whatsoever in that tweet and no acknowledgment of fault either. They just pass the buck -despite acknowledging in another tweet that they made a 'logical leap' to mark this as being about Roger- and say that they've updated the story and appreciate the feedback. For the convenience of others, here's the text:

Regarding what Brian meant and the confusion of the matter, it's hard to say for sure. Leaving aside accountability, if the TSS editor did their due diligence and asked for a quote from him, we might have more clarity on the who and what, but what you've provided may be a possible take. The 'last job' bit might not have been meant in the way that we've interpreted it either, but I don't want to speculate too much personally.