Graha Voice Actor Change?

[jackabee]

You know, I can't say whether or not it's JB. I really can't. All I can say is the following, and I hope someone at SE is reading because this is my only way to send a direct message, and even if they don't know anything or can't say anything I hope they can pass the message along to those who can speak/have the answers we're looking for:

Please. Please tell your players what's up here. Those of us commenting/following this forum thread are only a small portion of the fanbase that is very torn and very emotional over the idea that JB could have been recast, and we need facts and confirmation in order to process whatever the bottom line is. Me, personally, I don't want to crash out over this when I have irl obligations that require my focus and holidays that can already be stressful for those of us living in, at the very least, the NA/EU servers, definitely part of OCE too. But it's not about me - it's about the community as a whole.

There are people who are going to be pissed at whatever the situation is, that's unavoidable. But I know I'm more upset with the radio silence, and that can be just as maddening.

So, like...for the sake of the players. Tell us. Be honest in an official communication. It needs to be addressed. Rampant and unchecked speculation/uncertainty is only going to hurt the community, and honestly, I don't want that for anyone. I'd like to think others wouldn't want that, too.

[bunnymoon]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

[KiraRavens]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

This is probably due to an NDA or because he feels it's up to SE to comment on, not him.
But yeah, not great. If it was him as per usual, there'd be no reason not to say so.

One thing I was personally considering was that maybe they're still in negotiations - could be over money or schedule or Bailey not being sure where he'll be going next, or something completely different.
That would explain the complete lack of communication cause they'd want to wait until they actually know what to confirm.

Either way, making a clear, respectful statement that we wanna keep him in the game at all costs is important I feel, and the more people chime in the better.

[ZephyrMenodora]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

Not a great sign. If he was in the product, they very easily would be able to confirm that and there would be no reason to say "no comment."

[claustromania]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

This suggests to me that whatever is going on with JB's future with FFXIV, it's very much still in flux. If he definitively is stepping away, he or SE could have said so. And if he is definitively still involved, the same applies.

All the more reason to let SE know that they should fight to keep Bailey voicing G'raha Tia. Given the star power of the JP voice cast, I see no reason why SE couldn't afford to negotiate a way to keep him on the EN roster. Hopefully we won't have to wait all the way until April for a more definitive answer.

[KiraRavens]

This suggests to me that whatever is going on with JB's future with FFXIV, it's very much still in flux. If he definitively is stepping away, he or SE could have said so. And if he is definitively still involved, the same applies.

All the more reason to let SE know that they should fight to keep Bailey voicing G'raha Tia. Given the star power of the JP voice cast, I see no reason why SE couldn't afford to negotiate a way to keep him on the EN roster. Hopefully we won't have to wait all the way until April for a more definitive answer.

He'll have signed an NDA, which usually covers the time of your engagement as well as before and after, so if he was stepping away (for whatever reason), it would be up to SE to announce the change, not him.
He'd most likely not be allowed to comment on it before it became public knowledge via an official statement from SE.

On the other hand, if it's actually him after all (still don't think so at all) and the quality was just bad, he'd not want to / not be allowed to comment and let SE handle the "damage control", or comment on it themselves.

And if they're still in negoations of any kind, neither party would say anything at this point - not until there's a clear decision/contract.

So, there's honestly very few scenarios in which JB himself would have commented now instead of waiting for SE to make a statement first, so I'm not too concerned about this yet.
SE not commenting points towards things being undecided imo - or they're actually trying to just let this blow over in light of a definitive recast, but that would be a really weird move, even for them and their low-communication interaction style with the fanbase.

[mildlymoonstruck]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

Ugh, this is brutal. Honestly I take this as soft confirmation that he was not voicing G'raha for 7.4, but the main thing is that I hope not even commenting on whether or not he had is an indication that the future of G'raha's voicework is still in question. It's a very small hope, but I want to hope nonetheless. Jonathan Bailey's voicework made G'raha the best character in the game to me as much as the writing did, and even if we'd still have the latter going forward, he simply wouldn't feel like the real G'raha Tia to me without Bailey's voice behind him. This isn't a knock on whoever stepped in for 7.4; they did well, but I will always compare whoever it is to the highest of standards that Bailey set - and quite frankly, that Square Enix would be monumentally foolish to not maintain.

[Lara_Kotzji]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

Reading this made me feel worse than I did since Tuesday... I really hope SE makes a statement about this. It's not good to let fans continue to worry and create this tense atmosphere. Besides, the situation is getting weirder and weirder...
I don't think JB has any obligation to do so. While a small response, whether affirmative or negative, would have been appreciated, he is not responsible (although I am really concerned that they removed him without his consent. If he decided to leave on his own, well, there's nothing we can do and he has every right to do so. But if not, I would be so furious with SE).

[KthAura]

"Update, 12/19/25, 9:15 a.m.: A representative of Bailey told Kotaku that he “won’t be commenting or participating in any interviews regarding FF XIV” at this time."

That's such a non-answer, but it makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach.

Please, Square Enix, tell us something so we can stop worrying over it.

Dude... this breaks my heart- Why can't they be transparent about this? Like many said here, if it happened to a Japanese VA, we would've heard a statement by now! Stuff like this just makes people panic even more man... Squenix please be transparent.

[Bantochan]

I sent a screenshot of this to my bestie asking if it was a bad joke when I read it.

The dialogue in game? It made me feel conflicting emotions for sure.