In a move that surprises absolutely no one, miHoYo, the Chinese studio behind the hit gacha game Zenless Zone Zero, also known as HoYoverse has abruptly replaced two English dub voice actors, Emeri Chase and Nicholas Thurkettle in the game’s latest update.
Chase, who voiced Soldier 11, and Thurkettle, the voice of Lycaon, were reportedly recast “without prior notice.” Both actors claim the decision was a result of their refusal to work during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike for AI protections. This controversy has ignited heated debate online, with conflicting accounts from the actors and involved parties painting a tangled picture of performative activism, gaslighting and ideological pragmatism.
Emeri Chase, a self-described non-binary autistic voice actor who uses she/they pronouns, took to Bluesky to explain her departure from Zenless Zone Zero, framing it as a principled stand. “I was replaced as Soldier 11 because I am unwilling to perform work not covered by a SAG Interim Agreement during a strike for AI protection,” she stated.
Chase acknowledged that Zenless Zone Zero, which began development prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike on July 25, 2024, isn’t technically subject to the strike. However, she chose to withhold her work from non-union projects or those lacking union-backed AI protections, a completely voluntary show of solidarity with the union’s larger fight.
“I knew that by withholding work, it was possible I’d be replaced,” she admitted, adding that she had hoped miHoYo would leave Soldier 11 silent until she could return. She expressed optimism that the company, based in China, might avoid automation and machine learning replacements to support human performers.
Instead, she discovered she had been recast alongside fans through the patch notes for version 1.6.
Nicholas Thurkettle’s response, however, takes a more dramatic turn. He initially suggested on Bluesky that he was abruptly dropped from Zenless Zone Zero, claiming that neither miHoYo nor Sound Cadence Studios, the studio managing the game’s English dub had contacted him since October to reprise his role as Von Lycaon positioning himself as a martyr.
In a follow-up post, Thurkettle shifted his stance, admitting he had taken a “personal stand” against AI usage in games, despite not being a SAG-AFTRA member. “What game companies want to do with AI is an existential threat,” he stated. “I had to be willing to give up the best thing that’s ever happened in my professional life. I stand by my choice.”
The contradiction between Thurkettle’s initial claims of being unaware of the recast and his later declaration of a deliberate boycott has led to accusations of gaslighting, portraying himself as a victim while retroactively framing his replacement as a principled stand against AI as he deliberately turned down the offer to reprise his role in Zenless Zone Zero.
Sound Cadence Studios, the company managing the game’s English voice cast, addressed the backlash in a statement on Twitter. “Every contract at our studio features explicit AI protections, regardless of union status,” the statement read, pushing back against suggestions that the actors’ roles lacked such safeguards. The studio reaffirmed its dedication to human performers, emphasizing that many of its staff are voice actors themselves who “could not in good conscience offer other performers work we would not be willing to take.”
On the topic of the recast, Sound Cadence Studios maintained a diplomatic but firm stance: “The decision to recast talent on any project is not made lightly… We always reach out to actors to reprise their roles before investigating any other options.” This statement directly contradicts Thurkettle’s claim of being left in the dark and uninformed.
The studio expressed support for SAG-AFTRA’s ongoing AI negotiations and acknowledged the complexities actors face during the strike. However, it reaffirmed its commitment to “bringing voices to our clients’ projects in the most human way possible.” Sound Cadence further clarified that both Thurkettle and Chase were contacted to reprise their roles, union status notwithstanding but both declined, leading to the recasts.
Meanwhile, miHoYo, the developers behind the game has remained silent, having outsourced responsibility for the English dub to Sound Cadence Studios. With both Nicholas Thurkettle and Emeri Chase’s departures stemming from their own decisions, the studio has been left to face the bulk of public backlash while the developers stay out of the fray.
Their exits echo a growing pattern among obscure and low-rank English voice actors for Japanese and Chinese games, where public displays of LGBTQ+ activism and labor solidarity increasingly shape personal and professional identities. Chase’s approach reflects a measured effort to present their departure as an act of principle while leaving room for future collaboration.
Thurkettle’s shifting narrative, however, blends victimhood with self-promotion, positioning himself as both an aggrieved party and a moral crusader.
Similar controversies have played out before, over fanservice in Snowbreak: Containment Zone and “authentic cultural representation” in titles like Genshin Impact. The distinction here lies in the actors’ willingness to abandon steady roles or throw their employers under the bus for social acclaim and moral standing, in an industry where such opportunities are under threat by AI integration, portraying their decisions as a necessary sacrifice for a greater cause.
Voice acting is a unique form of performance where physical appearance is irrelevant, theoretically allowing the most skilled and vocally versatile actors to rise to the top. However, in recent years, the influence of feminist movements and their emphasis on “equality” has shifted the landscape of the voice acting industry.
This shift has led to an influx of LGBT activists, identifying as queer, transgender, or non-binary gaining prominence. For instance, YongYea, a YouTuber-turned-voice-actor, has landed major roles with companies like SEGA, only to deliver lackluster performances that have arguably ruined the Yakuza franchise while others like ProZD have openly advocated for the prospects that voice acting should be sexually and racially segregated.
Stating that fictional characters of color should be voiced by actors of the same ethnicity while he and many others opt to turn the other cheek when actors of color voice characters with fair skin instead.
When Genshin Impact found itself at the center of largescale social media outrage, accused of “whitewashing” African culture with the Natlan region, the usual suspects in the English voice acting scene couldn’t resist dogpiling on the very company giving them the opportunity and paying their checks.
Leading the charge were Valeria Rodriguez, the queer non-binary voice of Sucrose; Ariana Rosario, a bisexual Dominican-American voicing background NPCs; and Dani Chambers, the voice of Nilou. All three eagerly amplified “fixed it” blackwashed fan edits and called for HoYoverse to show “proper respect” to the real world cultures their fictional fantasy game supposedly draws from.
Here’s the irony: if race, authenticity, and representation mattered as much as they preach, none of these voice actors would’ve touched fair-skinned Asian roles to begin with. But, of course, principles tend to vanish when there’s a paycheck involved.
Meanwhile, actors like Chase and Thurkettle who voluntarily stepped away from roles for performative strike solidarity act blindsided when the studio replaces them. Spoiler alert: companies don’t keep seats warm for activists who’ve gone on strike.
It’s no wonder HoYoverse relies on studios like Sound Cadence to manage their English dubs. With competent veterans like Vic Mignogna and Ruben Langdon blacklisted over political differences and false accusations, what’s left are ideological crusaders masquerading as voice talent. The same crowd that cheers on localizers butchering scripts beyond recognition all to make foreign games more palatable to people who refuse to engage with media unless it’s spoon-fed in English.
The never-ending SAG-AFTRA strikes have only widened the gap. Despite securing deals for union projects last year, non-union titles like Zenless Zone Zero remain in a grey area. Actors like Chase and Thurkettle opted out of the gig, a choice that inevitably led to them getting replaced. That’s not injustice; that’s consequences, and for them to proclaim that they were blind sighted regarding their roles being recast after refusing work is sheer delusion.
The entitlement among voice actors is unmatched. Some even fabricate victim narratives to squeeze more sympathy and cash, à la Hellena Taylor, who infamously lied about her Bayonetta 3 pay offer. And let’s not forget Sena Bryer’s abysmal portrayal of Wuk Lamat in Final Fantasy XIV’s Dawntrail expansion, proof that talent is no longer the priority when it comes to English dubbing and voice acting.
SAG-AFTRA’s objective is clear: protect its increasingly unskilled, non-binary-dominated workforce from being replaced by AI. The irony is that AI-generated voice modulation couldn’t possibly damage foreign media more than activist voice actors and Western localizers already have. Despite this, SAG-AFTRA remains focused on securing higher wages and job security for voice actors even though AI would streamline localization, cut costs, and eliminate the need for ideologically driven performers.
For companies like HoYoverse, embracing automation would be far more beneficial than continuing to rely on activist voice actors, who are quick to turn on their employers for social clout or walk out for moral grandstanding.
If the world were perfect, English dubs wouldn’t even exist, people would just watch things in their original language. But since global appeal is a thing, miHoYo will keep outsourcing its English dubbing, even if it means hiring people who’ll gladly throw them under the bus for Twitter clout, while SAG-AFTRA wants to keep its members safe from the advancements of artificial intelligence, the calls to action heeded by the likes of Emeri Chase and Nicholas Thurkettle showcase the reality of the world, voice actors are simply making themselves all the more replaceable.
