Final Fantasy 14 hasn't been a stranger to its fair share of voice actor-related controversies, from the Wuk Lamat debacle and beyond – but its latest might just be the most serious if you ask hardened fans, as it could mean the beloved G'raha Tia has been replaced.
Or, well, his voice actor might've been, anyway – at least that's what some fans of the MMO think now, following the hotly anticipated arrival of patch 7.4. Into the Mist, as Square Enix has dubbed the big update, packs quite a punch of content with everything from a new trial to a fresh variant dungeon and much more, but that's not all. Players are taking to online forums to report that one very important (if you ask the community) NPC isn't quite himself.
Is it just me or does.. G'raha Tia... from r/ffxiv
He's none other than G'raha Tia, of course, arguably the most iconic cat boy around. "Is it just me," questions one superfan on Reddit, "or does G'raha Tia sound different to anyone else in the 7.4 patch?" They ask if Jonathan Bailey, the longtime English voice actor behind the Miqo'te character, no longer plays the part. "Does anyone know?" Comments see fellow fans speculating about why Bailey might sound different than before.
"This is completely unsourced and from my friend, but apparently it is still Johnathan Bailey, but he was ill after his work on Wicked, and that's why he sounds so different." I mean, it does make sense – Wicked: For Good only recently released, and Bailey acts as Prince Fiyero in the film. Another commenter adds that, "It sounds like it's G'raha, but he's utterly fucking exhausted," which checks out if the Wicked theory proves to be true.
What is wrong with G'raha's voice? from r/ffxivdiscussion
Another thread echoes the previous poster's thoughts, asking, "What is wrong with G'raha's voice?" Much like on the other one, somebody writes, "Recording two full-length musicals will tire you out a bit." Elsewhere in the replies, folks actually wonder whether or not he has indeed been recast as "he's a busy man and is gonna be a lot more expensive now as well" in a post-Wicked world. There's no solid reason (from Square Enix) to think so, however.
I'd wager the majority of folks are correct on this one, and Bailey is, in fact, just tired from all of the hard work he's put into recent roles. Obviously, it's hard to tell unless he or developers say something themselves, but I'm opting to keep my fingers crossed.
