Graha Voice Actor Change?

[Melruu]

I really hope that it was a temporary thing, Bailey's voice acting is a big part of why G'raha is my favourite scion.

[Bantochan]

Well said. There are things about the game that are incredibly important to others but not to me, yet I've never had the instinct to join in their discussions and complaints to shout about how much this doesn't matter, how it's not a big deal because I don't care about it, how they're insane for saying their interest in the game might disappear entirely over this. Different things matter to different people, and as someone whose main reason for playing and being invested in the game is the story and characters, of which the voice performances are a crucial part of—of course this matters a lot to me. Especially when it comes to my own favorite character and my favorite voice performance in the game.

I made a couple of posts on social media doing little more than encouraging people to post here instead of just on their personal accounts, since the forums are supposed to be the place where Square Enix actually reads feedback, and was quite stunned by how strongly many people reacted to it. As in, throwing insults, saying I was delusional, parasocial towards Bailey, a danger to myself and to him, even. All of that because I said if people care about this huge voice discrepancy in this patch and want to let SE know Bailey's performance as G'raha matters to them, they should post here.

That said, I don't regret doing so. A lot of people here have voiced their sentiments incredibly well as well as provided some very interesting insight on the UK voice acting industry, what Bailey's schedule was like this year, and other bits of information I wasn't aware of myself. I wish we didn't have to be speculating among ourselves, but it's been heartening to know I'm not alone in the way I feel.

So sorry you went through this. Social media is a cesspool these days. It seems people just want to argue and put others down for fun. I’m glad this forum thread has been constructive and supportive mostly.

[SiriuslyEmily]

I’m really concerned that SE hasn’t said a word about this despite many people asking for clarity. I know earlier in the thread there was a discussion about NDAs and contracts, but I still hope this can be resolved soon. I *really* hope they didn’t replace JB, because as many in this thread will attest, G’raha is beloved in part due to his strong vocal performance. I’m really concerned that SE would do something as drastic as replace a major actor for such a prominent character when that character is a huge draw for their game—G’raha was on the big paintings they did on buildings to advertise for DT, for gods sake! And he wasn’t even around much! If it IS still JB, they really need to allow him to re-record.

I hope this isn’t too much of a tangent, but I’ve been concerned about SE’s treatment of XIV’s main characters since 7.0 dropped and the graphics update involved some weird shifts in Thancred’s facial features, resulting in several cutscenes where he looks *very* off. Some Thancred fans have been trying to get this addressed and fixed too, but with little response from SE and a lot of shrugging or negative reactions from people who aren’t big Thancred fans. My point here is that I really sympathize with a lot of the worry in this thread—a lot of us play this game for the incredible characters, and to see things like their literal facial features or voices being treated as if they don’t matter—or reactions implying you’re weird or crazy for caring about those things!—is really disappointing, from both other fans and from the devs. I hope this gets resolved for G’raha fans in a satisfactory way.

[KazanRekka]

I really hope he’s not replaced. He’s been an absolute favorite since ShB. So please, Square Enix, clarify what you can, and do what you can to ensure he comes back. He loves the role too, and we know this.

[Oizen]

Probably not in the budget anymore, too big of a name for this game.

[CosmosNovaRose]

Probably not in the budget anymore, too big of a name for this game.

"Muh budget"

Please read the full discussion that explains why this angle doesn't make sense.

[Lycorine]

I really hope SE reads these forums and says something soon because the lack of explanation is leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. I love G'raha and Jonathan's voice acting of him, but I would also feel this way about any main character suddenly having a different voice. I love this game for the story and the people who tell it, everyone does a fantastic job making it such an immersive experience. Suddenly having a new voice is like replacing an actor on a tv show and everyone pretending nothing changed. How can I enjoy it when I am wondering who this new character is the whole time? I don't think it is a big ask for SE to make a simple statement of whether or not Jonathan will continue to voice G'raha. I really hope he is, I can't imagine playing this game with anyone else voicing him.

[Oizen]

"Muh budget"

Please read the full discussion that explains why this angle doesn't make sense.

What argument could possibly exist against it when Yoshida himself touted the game's limited budget over everyones heads back when the mare ban happened
And even cited it as a reason Occult Crscent sucked. We're well past the content they'd have set aside made before Dawntrail even launched, anything recorded for the setup of 8.0 is likely far newer.

[lievaordiea]

as its nearly xmas i doubt we will hear anything. i know the contact centers are open until last minute but that doesn't mean the press office is open. or at least for this. i doubt it registers high enough to warrant an immediate response. we do feel like we need one but feelings do not mean fact. plus if its an NDA thing .. contracts etc might be delayed until after the new year.

[paradisea]

What argument could possibly exist against it when Yoshida himself touted the game's limited budget over everyones heads back when the mare ban happened
And even cited it as a reason Occult Crscent sucked. We're well past the content they'd have set aside made before Dawntrail even launched, anything recorded for the setup of 8.0 is likely far newer.

"Bailey clearly is just too expensive for Square Enix to keep on their payroll."
Here's a post about voice acting fees in the UK, where Bailey is based on, compared to the US, and why it's unlikely Bailey has just "priced himself out" of Square Enix's price range.

Everyone is tired of arguing this, so I'll just encourage you to read that and everyone else to move on.