After years of anonymity, gaming’s least famous but most recognisable voice has broken cover to chat PEGI 18, AI acting, and his €200 paycheque

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If you’ve ever watched a game trailer in Europe, you’ve almost certainly heard Richard Wells’ voice. He is, in his own words, “the guy who says ‘PEGI 18’ on all of your video games,” which is to say he’s the smooth baritone that lets you know a game’s age rating right before its trailer plays; the British equivalent of that ESRB guy who says “product not yet rated” before E3 trailers. He’s ubiquitous but—until he became a TikTok sensation—anonymous, and it turns out he only made €200 (£170) for his work.

“I’ve been a professional voice actor for 40 years,” explains Wells at the beginning of his first video on TikTok, “I’ve made at least 10,000 recordings, and spoken millions of words, but ironically, I’m best known for just two.” Those two are, of course, “PEGI 18,” which have been at the front of almost every game trailer I can remember for years upon years. Alas, that didn’t translate to incalculable riches: In a follow-up video, Wells thanked fans for his newfound virality and answered probably the most common question he gets: “Do I get paid every time I say it? Well, I wish. I actually did get paid €200 back in September 2009, and that’s all the money I’ve ever made [from it].”

@richardwells48
♬ original sound – Richard Wells



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