Top voice actors sign on to help pre-read your game scripts -- for free

Veteran voice actors Jennifer Hale (pictured), Sarah Elmaleh, and Cissy Jones are spearheading a new Halp Network program in Los Angeles that aims to offer game devs opportunities to hear their scripts performed during pre-production.

This new S.W.A.A.T. (Specialized Workshops And Actor Tactics) team is particularly notable not just for its high-profile headliners (Jones, Elmaleh, and Hale have worked on everything from Mass Effect and Firewatch to Gone Home and Final Fantasy XV) but also its entry fee: free.

However, there are some caveats: S.W.A.A.T. is offering two-hour workshops (either in L.A., virtually, or [with enough planning and funding] on-site) to help you polish your game script, and they request no more than two table reads per project.

Also, you aren't allowed to record the actors' performances or require specific actors, as members of the S.W.A.A.T. team (which includes a number of industry professionals in addition to the three named above) are brought in based on their personal work schedules. 

Obviously, if you like what you hear, the S.W.A.A.T. folks are hoping you'll decide to work with them and Halp to cast your game. You'll need to work with SAG-AFTRA to do so since the performers are part of the union, but S.W.A.A.T. itself is not affiliated with SAG-AFTRA. 

For more details on how the program works and what to do if you want to take advantage of it, check out the S.W.A.A.T. corner of Halp's website.