Osiris Reborn Gets Official Character Change

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has officially recast its male protagonist, and Blythe Melin is taking over the role. Developer Owlcat Games has also revealed a new default appearance for the character ahead of the RPG’s planned release in 2027. The earlier beta testing of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn has already concluded, and it has given players an opportunity to share their opinions on the game. Of course, not every aspect of the title was received well, particularly the voice acting of the male protagonist.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is based on the popular science fiction franchise of the same name. It is yet another third-person action RPG, but it lets players step into the shoes of a mercenary captain responsible for getting their crew through the daggers of the universe. The title was created by the same studio that developed games like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.

The Expanse: Osiris Reborn Reveals New Voice Actor and Redesigned Protagonist

Owlcat Games officially introduced the new voice actor for the male protagonist in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, Blythe Melin. It’s worth mentioning that he will also be the voice of the captain’s identical twin brother, called J, who is described as having a more relaxed personality. The actor has plenty of experience already, as he has previously worked on some of the most recognizable action RPGs, such as Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Diablo 4, and Ready or Not. In any case, apart from receiving feedback from fans gracefully and changing the voice actor, the studio actually agreed that the original performance felt way less expressive than it had hoped, so it seems like most people are on the same page about that matter anyway.

The changes are not limited to the voice actor, though, as the studio has redesigned the male captain’s default appearance as well, moving away from the conventional military aesthetic. Furthermore, the character will remain customizable, although the studio’s idea is to generally have the protagonist remain recognizable, pointing to Commander Shepard from Mass Effect as a comparison.

Overall, recasting the voice actor for the protagonist is certainly a big decision, and it goes to show just how much influence player feedback can have over the development of a game. Without a doubt, voice acting is especially important for story-driven RPGs because the conversations and the relationships between the characters need to be convincing enough to evoke stronger emotional reactions from players.

At the same time, it is safe to say that these substantial changes are happening quite late in development, so whether they will be considered improvements or setbacks in the bigger picture of things remains to be seen. The title is giving fans plenty of reasons to be hopeful, though, as it is already being hailed as a stronger contender for the title of the next Mass Effect than Exodus, which is another upcoming sci-fi RPG from Archetype Entertainment, a studio founded by former BioWare developers. Nevertheless, most people would agree that seeing a studio revisit important decisions based on player feedback suggests a genuine desire to deliver a high-quality product.

Developer(s)

Owlcat Games

Publisher(s)

Owlcat Games

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

Number of Players

Single-player

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown