Why did they change all the voice actors?

[Lewtskie]

Could still be the same VAs just trying a different pitch/range. Maybe some without laying as thick an accent as possible this time around. A lot of folks weren't too into it, admittedly I certainly wasn't for a lot of them.

[KisaiTenshi]

Don't jump the gun.

Yes, NA anime and NA videogames tend to be super-poor "low budget" efforts (which is not to say Japan isn't equally as bad it it, see how many voice actors are in everything)

In NA, there are voice actor guilds, and the developers can not hire one person from the guild and hire a bunch of randoms for everyone else. It's either "all guild, or no guild at all"

Look at Kingdom Hearts and you'll see that SE has access to all the same voice actors Disney has. That is literately the top picks. So if a voice is replaced, it's far more likely a scheduling conflict, or the VA just didn't want to come back.

For example Tara Strong is in everything.

A look at IMDB Shows some of the VA's for FFXIV, but not who they played. So at this point I'm not sure anyone actually knows if the voices were replaced or if the launch trailer just didn't have finalized voices for the English side.

[Priya]

I'll really miss original Alphinaud, but I also really love me some Pippin.

/internalstruggle

[LordHadi]

/clap wow your comment is just the most helpful if i could give you cookies I'd just give them all to you since you're so helpful.

Lol chill, I don't think he was serious.. Made me laugh tho

[Drako]

What would be nice is some kind of a community rep confirmation of this. But I for one felt like they sounded like the same actors as before. Just with a lot more definition and soul. I think it's similar to how you watch the first season or two of a show, and the actors are kind of meh getting into their roles, but the rest they get much better and experienced in that role, making them more believable. I could be wrong, but they sound like the same to me. If they aren't the same people, with better accents, then they found some people that do a incredible job replicating the existing voices.

[Pomelo]

I really hope they don't change any of them, and it was new characters who were speaking in the trailer...

The voices have got better and better each patch and culminated in some real good stuff in 2.5 >.<

[Jonnycbad]

Merlwyb's voice was interesting to me. I don't know how to describe it...it sounded matronly, yet strong and masculine...she sounded cool. Alphinaud's original voice reminds me of something but I can't quite put my finger on it...maybe Chaos from Xenosaga or Cecil from FF4?

[Wizarus]

Good, English voice acting was terrible, the reason I swiched to Jap. Now I might give these new ones a try.

[NorthernLadMSP]

It's entirely possible, if they are in fact different, that the individuals who voiced the characters did not want to participate in further voice acting these characters. Similar to how certain actors express no desire to reprise their roles in sequels.

[Nadirah]

Good, English voice acting was terrible, the reason I swiched to Jap. Now I might give these new ones a try.

JP voice acting always sounds like children to me.

Doesn't help I want to hear the speech, nt read the subtitles.

And this is why the Lich King got a new voice. Blizzard wanted to pay the guy that did it in WC3 a pittance, so they reused his lines from there in Culling of Stratholme and got a new guy, modulated the crap out of it, and used that for new stuff.