Forum:Concern of Mordin's Voice Actor

I found this on another site, wanted to bring it to everyone's attention:

With the third Mass Effect's release date getting closer and closer, recent revelations regarding the voice of Mordin Solus are leaving fans concerned. After the salarian scientist appeared in early E3 footage and then in recent beta leaks voiced by somebody who is not the original voice actor Michael Beattie, fans began to wonder whether Beattie was returning at all. Most key voice actors so far have been confirmed and have even been heard in the footage we've seen, including Mark Meer, Jennifer Hale, Seth Green, Tricia Helfer, Ali Hillis, Brandon Keener, Kimberly Brooks and Steven Barr, amongst others.

One concerned fan, Jeff O'Connor, sent the voice actor an email about the situation, and when Mr. Beattie replied with the following, fan concern began to grow:

Michael Beattie to me:

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the kudos and thei kind words! I've said it before and I'll say it again: I had a blast bringing Mordin to life!

I would love to return for ME3 -but unless the fans make a lot more noise -such that EA/Bioware is looking at a drop in sales if I don't - then I believe I will be replaced.

So .... you're idea of rallying fan support is a great one!

In fact it might be the only way it will happen at this point.

Talk about gamer/player choices having an impact on the outcome, huh?!

Best,

Michael Beattie

BioWare's silence on the matter doesn't seem to have helped matters. Claims after the E3 footage from BSN community guy Chris Priestly simply stated that the voice-over in the demos was a temp, but much of the voice acting has apparently been recorded at this point, and while BioWare hasn't said that they're not planning on getting Beattie back, the man himself has said he hasn't been contacted.

That doesn't immediately point to a replacement though. The early temp VO for Mordin was provided by Mark Meer, who has since confirmed though Twitter that he hasn't replaced Beattie and really did only do a temp voice-over for the demo. One also has to keep in mind that leading up to ME2 Keith David also said he hadn't been contacted about returning for the second game in the series fairly late into production, and yet he was in the final product. Seth Green said similar things about ME2 only a couple of months before his voice was heard in some early E3 footage.

Still, this hasn't stopped fans from worrying and wanting answers from BioWare, and a petition has gone up, despite the fact that BioWare have said in the past that they basically ignore the things. In either case, the message is clear: fans want Michael Beattie back as Mordin Solus. Many feel he brought the character to life and that he is as responsible for bringing a voice and mannerisms to one of ME2's most popular new additions as anybody else. And I can't help but agree with them, so feel that if I can somehow spread the concern and word in any way I can, I may as well.

So if you feel like I do, sign the petition, send the word and cause a general fuss about it so we can not only see our favourite salarian scientist in ME3, but hear him too.

We'll keep you updated on any developments regarding Michael Beattie hopefully returning as Mordin.