Video games take years to develop, especially in this day and age. The creators often spend huge chunks of their lives coding the gameplay, rendering the cutscenes, and ironing out any other issues. Performers are part of this process, usually recording their lines long before the games actually release. As such, these actors aren’t always there to see the fruits of their labor.
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This leads to several games with posthumous performances. Actors complete their voice and/or motion capture work on a game, but they pass away before the final product sees the light of day. While this is always tragic, it can have a silver lining. Audiences may appreciate a creator’s work more if they know it’s the last they’ll see. Hopefully, they’ll remember why they liked the performer in the first place.
7Mass Effect 3
AmongMass Effect’s more imposing party members is Zaeed Massani. The merciless mercenary joins Shepard’s crew as a DLC character in the second game, where he’s voiced by Robin Sachs. A veteran of the London theater, this actor soon became known onscreen and in the recording booth forBuffy the Vampire Slayer,SpongeBob SquarePants, and various other TV shows. BioWare recruited him for several projects, includingStar Wars:Knights of the Old RepublicandDragon Age: Origins.
It only made sense to bring him back forMass Effect 3. While he was alive forthe game’s initial release in 2012, Sachs sadly died in 2013, shortly before the final piece of DLC came out. This is especially significant considering how much post-release content went into amending the controversial ending.
6Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days
Mickey Mouse has had a few voices in his lifetime, but the longest tenure came courtesy of Wayne Allwine. He played the peppyDisneyrodent from the 1980s to the 2000s. His portrayals stretched across a plethora of movies, TV shows, shorts, and games. Included in this roster is theKingdom Heartsseries,where Mickey emerges as a prolific warrior.
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Unfortunately, Allwine’s career ended with his death in 2009. Prior to this, he recorded lines for the DS entry,358/2 Days, which was released the same year. Granted, the character only appears in a few scenes, but the game remains dedicated to Allwine. He deserves no less for one of his last runs as the cartoon icon.
5Disney Dreamlight Valley
Another Disney icon, Pat Carroll famously voicedUrsula, the villainous sea witch ofThe Little Mermaid. She then reprised the role in countless TV shows and games. Many of these were crossovers with other Disney properties.
That remains the case for her final performance. Carroll voices the villainess once more in 2022’sDisney Dreamlight Valleydespite passing away the same year. Like Allwine, though, she only has a few lines. Most of the dialogue is in text form. Nevertheless, having Carroll onboard aids in authenticity. Players probably wish the game was fully voiced so that they could hear more.
For many fans, the quintessentialBatmanis Kevin Conroy.He’s voiced the Dark Knight in numerous movies, TV series, and games. Some of the most popular examples are Rocksteady’sArkhamgames. While the developers wrapped up the Caped Crusader’s story withArkham Knight, that doesn’t mean they’re done with the DC Universe.
In 2023, they’re set to releaseSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. As the name suggests, Batman will play a small role in the narrative. Conroy will reprise that role. He may have passed on in 2022, but he finished recording his lines for the anticipated entry. This means fans get to hear his unforgettable tone one more time. Granted, they’ll likely be fighting against the hero, but that might make him scarier.
3Persona 5
ThePersonaseries has a wealth of colorful characters. Among those inthe fifth entryis Chihaya Mifune, a fortune-teller who peddles “holy stones” to customers to change their futures. She’s essentially a snake oil saleswoman, buther attitude is so cheerful that it’s hard to dislike her.
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Such upbeat energy is right up Miyu Matsuki’s alley. Her career mainly consists of anime, withSword of the Stranger, thePretty Curemovies, andHayate, the Combat Butlerbeing among her more well-known projects.Persona 5fits right into such a lineup, but she never got to see it. Matsuki died in late 2015; the game was released a full year later in late 2016.
2Battlefield 2042
Michael K. Williamswas a character actor on both the big and small screen. His more acclaimed work includesThe Wire,Hap & Leonard, andBoardwalk Empire. On the gaming front, though, he played Kimble “Irish” Graves inBattlefield 4–a role he was set to reprise inBattlefield 2042.
Unfortunately, he passed a few months prior to the game’s release in late 2021. Thankfully, due to the extensive performance capture and narration duties, Williams was working on the project long beforehand. As such, his role remained intact. Irish lived to fight another day.
1Fire Emblem Fates
Consideringall the royal familiesinFire Emblem, it’s ironic that one of the more striking characters isn’t a lord at all. Gunter is a knight who trains the hero inFire Emblem Fates. He’s a gruff instructor who’s hardened by a long life. To play this role, the creators needed someone with similarly extensive experience.
Rokurō Naya had decades of voice acting under his belt.Gatchaman F,Lupin the 3rd,Seiju Sentai Gingaman, and theLunargames are a few examples. Although he passed in 2014, he was able to complete a final batch of projects.Fire Emblemwas one, as it was released in 2015.
