Missing Genshin Impact voice lines are slowly coming back

Following alleged break-up with Formosa

HoYoverse

Some previously muted Genshin Impact characters are slowly finding their voices again. Update 5.2, released on November 20, 2024, retroactively added the missing voice lines for Kachina to the storyline of version 5.1, though Kinich and Ajaw remain silent in the same quest.

Citlali’s lines, which sounded terrible due to mistakes in the mixing process, have also been fixed and sound much more pleasant now. Update 5.2’s content seems to be missing voice lines for Kinich, Ajaw, and Iansan (who still recorded lines for 5.1, but is now silent), so the process of getting the band back together is still not quite complete. However, Kachina’s return means that recording work has resumed on time at least for some of the voice actors.

This recovery was seemingly made possible because HoYoverse cut ties with recording studio Formosa Interactive, according to voice actor Alejandro Saab, who is involved with three games created by HoYoverse. Formosa has been responsible for recording the English dub of Genshin Impact since its release and has been criticized by the ongoing voice actors’ strike, because it refuses to protect its talents from AI exploitation.

The strike has impacted the open-world RPG quite publicly with key characters remaining silent in the story of update 5.1. Additionally, the version’s flagship event had no voice acting at all apart from exceptions such as Paimon – a big blow since many players were looking forward to this particular event featuring Nahida’s birthday celebrations.

Even the game’s preview broadcasts, such as the recent Genshin Impact 5.2 livestream, are being hosted by HoYoverse’s own localization team at the moment, since the voice actors who are usually hired to do this are unable to record the shows due to the strike.

Alejandro Saab, who plays Cyno in Genshin Impact, Jing Yuan in Honkai: Star Rail, and Anton in Zenless Zone Zero, revealed the alleged split during a livestream as his VTuber persona Cy Yu. In the broadcast, a viewer asked whether Formosa had finally signed an agreement with union SAG-AFTRA to end the ongoing strike against it. Saab said: “They have not [signed the agreement], but also they don’t record Genshin anymore.”

Formosa was likely standing on thin ice with HoYoverse already: In 2023, the recording studio failed to pay Paimon VA Corina Boettger until the developer intervened. Boettger’s recording work was subsequently moved to Sound Cadence, which is handling the English dub for ZZZ – and may well have secured more work for Genshin Impact now.

It seems like the public outcry about the unvoiced quests in update 5.1 was the last straw for HoYoverse and prompted the developer to split up with Formosa. Formosa still lists Genshin Impact as one of its projects, though it does so for all of its past work.

HoYoverse did not respond to a request for comment on this story. We’ve also reached out to Formosa for comment and will provide an update with any new information.