No way to found out you've lost a job quite like hearing it was decided by Steam Community members, eh? That's the case for the voice of the male protagonist, and the female protagonist's twin J in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. Owlcat Games, the game's developer, decided it was time to part ways and find a new voice actor for the role, following player feedback.
This feedback comes as part of the game's closed beta, which allowed players to experience some of what the sci-fi RPG has on offer. There's nothing wrong necessarily with the female protagonist simply sounding better in a game like The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. Some people prefer Jennifer Hale's performance to Mark Meer's in the Mass Effect games, after all. However, it seems that Owlcat acknowledged this wasn't just a preference, but a weakness on the performance side.
"While the voice actor for the male protagonist and J put in a lot of good work, they felt less expressive than we wanted. Because of this, we are changing the voices of the male protagonist and J," reads the response to the feedback on Steam.
This isn't the only bit of work Owlcat is putting in between now and the game's full release. More animations will be created for facial and body movements, making characters feel more alive. Moreover, there's going to be a full rework of the "ask" system, new battle cries, a change to narrative tone and consistency, as well as a reworked cover system. We don't yet have a release date for The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, so it's possible this work could push back Owlcat's plans, but without a firm date locked in, the developer is free to play with whatever windows they wish in the future.