Starfield was going to have player voices but decided against it after months of recording the voices. Personally, I think the game is so much better without player voices but that doesn’t mean they were scrapped entirely. The original voice actor for the male player revealed that they were moved to two constellation companions you know and love.
Andreja and Sam Coe are arguably two of the most beloved characters in Starfield and popular romance choices. It comes as a surprise to know that these two characters were going to be the main voices for Starfield. This was revealed by a tweet from Elias Toufexis, who plays the voice for Sam Coe.
Toufexis and Cissy Jones, the voice of Andreja, read lines for the main character for months before Bethesda decided against having the player be fully voiced. Toufexis also revealed that when a voice actor is fired, it’s over for them at that project. Bethesda seems to have gone against the grain and found other voices for them.
I like the voices for Sam and Andreja a lot but I don’t like the idea of the main character in an RPG being voiced. Often, players give their own inflection or take on how something is said, and having a permanent way of it being said ruins this. If anything, having a voice in the game is less immersive than not having a voice. If you’re just reading it out, it’s like you’re talking to the NPC instead of watching someone else have the conversation.
Great job to Bethesda for making sure these voice actors continued to have work and great job to both Toufexis and Jones for their impeccable performances as Sam and Andreja. Those two are some of my favorite companions (next to Barrett), and legit I thought both of them definitely sounded like main leads.
