UPDATE 17/03/25: Genshin Impact voice actor Showtaro Morikubo has now been removed from Arknights, another popular Chinese gacha game, following the sudden announcement last week they would no longer be part of Hoyoverse’s voice cast.
Morikubo had a significant role in Arknights as the character Elysium, which will now be recast.
“Due to various circumstances, [Morikubo] has decided to step down,” Arknights development team stated in a message posted to the game’s Chinese social media account. “To all players and stakeholders, we sincerely apologise for the great inconvenience and concern caused.”
Fans had suggested Morikubo being cut from Genshin Impact was because the actor had been linked to criticism of China’s treatment of Uyghur people – as detailed in the original story below.
UPDATE 13/03/25: Sound Cadence Studios, responsible for recording the voice actors in Zenless Zone Zero, has responded to the news of two actors being recast.
In a statement shared on social media, the studio said its contracts offer “explicit AI protections, regardless of union status” and it will continue to work on its clients’ projects “in the most human way possible”.
The statement reads: “Every contract at our studio features explicit AI protections, regardless of union status. Much of our staff are actors themselves, and could not in good conscience offer other performers work we would not be willing to take.