Zenless Zone Zero voice actors only discover they have been recast when patch notes come out

There is obviously no good way to find out that you have been laid off from your job. On the flip side, I would argue that one of the worst ways to discover this is at the same time that millions of other people do. This has been the case for two voice actors who worked on Zenless Zone Zero.

Emeri Chase and Nicholas Thurkettle, who voice Soldier 11 and Lycaon, respectively, both claimed they only found out they had been replaced when they read it in the recent patch notes released by Hoyoverse. Both actors have been on strike in support of the SAG-AFTRA action.

If you are unaware of what's been going on, members of SAG-AFTRA started striking back in July 2024 due to concerns over the threat of AI. Specifically, the members wanted some protection against the growing use of AI in voice acting. As such, a few ongoing video games have been releasing expansions with noticeably missing voices.

You might have noticed this in another of Hoyos' properties, specifically Genshin Impact. If you played the recent Lantern Rite event in English, it is rather evident that Keqing and Hu Tao were completely silent. Again, the actors were on strike in support of SAG-AFTRA. To be fair, companies doing this shows the value of voice actors, because it is incredibly jarring when half the characters are voiced and the others aren't. 

If you want to read about the situation in the actor's own words, both Chase and Thurkettle have posted about this on Bluesky. In a five-part thread, Chase confirms that they only found out through the notes. Thurkettle commented on this explaining he wasn’t even a member of SAG but joined the action in solidarity. A tough situation I am not clever enough to know the ins and outs of, but I think we can all agree; grow a spine and pick up the phone next time Hoyo.