Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate is out today and, while there are a few “emergent issues” on Bungie’s radar, so far it seems to be going pretty well, which is nice. Some players were surprised by one seeming change, though: The voice of Ikora Rey, the Warlock Vanguard, seemed a little off. There’s a reason for that, as it turns out, and it’ll be changed back soon enough anyway.
Bungie explained today that the whole thing tracks back to a May update, in which the studio said that “some voice talent has been unavailable for recordings” for upcoming Destiny 2 releases. “For the time being, to ensure a consistent player journey as we launch Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, certain characters will have different voices in Rite of the Nine or The Edge of Fate content,” including—for English voiceovers—the characters Orin, Chioma, and Ikora.
It wasn’t specified in the announcement but that lack of availability was possibly the result of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which previously dinged Destiny 2: Heresy when it went live in February. That strike officially ended last week as performers, who’d been on the picket line for more than a year, ratified a new agreement between the union and game publishers.
So that’s why Ikora’s voice isn’t quite right—but it’s not going to stay that way. “We are happy to announce that these conflicts have been resolved, and we’re actively re-recording lines for affected characters,” Bungie wrote on X. “While we do not have a specific date for when these lines will be updated, we are aiming for a future update. When we have more details, we will let you know.”
The studio also warned that until the new recordings can be implemented, “some characters will have temporary voice casting or be silent” in some languages. “As we did for Destiny 2: Heresy, subtitles for story content will be enabled by default to ensure narrative content is not missed.”
It’s obviously not the worst problem to have, and I imagine Bungie has to be pretty happy with how The Edge of Fate is going so far, but I can see where it would be an issue for some players. I don’t play Destiny 2 anymore but I am still a pretty big ’80s arena rock fan, and every time I hear the guy Journey got to replace Steve Perry it just reminds me that it’s not Steve Perry. It’s distracting, you know?
And in this case the problem is exacerbated by Bungie’s choice of replacement actor: Debra Wilson, a prolific performer who previously provided the voice of Savathun in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen.
And yes, people noticed.
That’s not a knock against Wilson’s work, but sometimes there’s just no substitute for the real thing—especially when you’ve already established yourself as the real something else.
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