The actors who play Niko and Roman Bellic in GTA IV need new agents. The video game industry needs to look at its contracts before someone sues big style. We have an amusing video of the real life Roman trying to rent himself out.

Why do Michael Hollick (Niko) and Jason Zumwalt (Roman) need new agents? Well, they aren't getting residual payments for their work in best-selling game. According to The New York Times, Hollick was "paid only about $100,000 over roughly 15 months between late 2006 and early this year for all of his voice acting and motion-capture work on the game, with zero royalties or residuals in sight."

But Michael isn't bitter - well, not much. He also knows not to burn any bridges, telling the newspaper, "I don’t blame Rockstar", he says politely,"I blame our union for not having the agreements in place to protect the creative people who drive the sales of these games."

"Yes, the technology is important, but it’s the human performances within them that people really connect to, and I hope actors will get more respect for the work they do within those technologies."

Maybe a harder negotiation would have been in order because having asked about residual payments early on, he was told "that was not a possibility", and left it there.

However, it is unlikely that the video game industry will be able to get away with practices such as non-payment of residuals to not-quite-famous actors in the long run.

Mr Zumwalt - did not opt for the interviewed by The NY Times style of bringing his case to attention. He went to Youtube. "Yeah", he says, "I'm in the biggest video in the world right now, and I'm not making a goddam cent in residuals..."

We know which of the two we'd hire for SPOnG's forthcoming blockbuster Yokohama Motor Mama.



^{Sources:
The New York Times
Gawker}