Sega recasting voice actors for main characters(Sonic, Tails Amy etc)

[GentlemanX]

I enjoyed Roger's portrayal of Sonic. Not as much as say Ryan or Jaleel, but I thought he was definitely a breath of fresh air after Jason. His voice has always been too deep for Sonic to me, but he made up for it with great delivery and charm. I actually think Forces, with a script that that seemed less jokey than Colors or wood like Lost World, was probably my favorite performance from him. Voicing the character from 2010-2021 is nothing to sneeze at, and he'll be missed.

Until I hear different, I'm assuming Ben is the new voice of Sonic for the same reasons Jason took over for Ryan in 2005. I'm sure Ben costs more than Roger, but the movie version was probably too successful for Sega to ignore. Could be wrong of course, but that's what I'm going to believe for now.

[SBR2]

50 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Well, he's playing coy about it, but seems like it:

 

His bio also reads "Voice of Eggman  (2003-?)" So yeah he's basically trolling fans right now. 

[DabigRG]

It has been ten years, hasn't it? Dang

[MetalSkulkBane]

A bit sad, but I'll probably get over it. What I find a little funny is that next VA won't continue my "Aging Headcanon".

Drummond made Sonic sound like a early teen to me. 13-15 around.

Griffith was more of a 16-18

Craig Smith gave me "young adult" sorta vibe. 20-25

Ben or whoever will be next probably won't be able to age Sonic again like that in my head... even though Schwartz is actually in his 30s.

[SatAMhog]

Good to see they're finally going for a new VA.  Hearing a new voice for Sonic in the movie was a breath of fresh air and here's hoping for a great VA this time around for the new game.  No offense to Roger Craig Smith but he just wasn't that great a Sonic.  Jaleel White, Ryan Drummond and Jason Griffith were better overall while Roger filled the role and nothing more for me.

[SBR2]

19 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

 

Drummond made Sonic sound like a early teen to me. 13-15 around.

Did he? Like I've said before I'm not a fan of Ryan's Sonic myself but like he never sounded anymore like a teenager than Jason or Roger did. 

The only actor who sounded like one was Jaleel and that's because he was one when he started.

[Kuzu]

While I'm deeply upset to see Roger leave, I can't help but think giving Sonic a new voice isn't really going to change the fundamental problems with the brand.  Of all things I've been invested about the series, Sonic's voice has never really been a high priority for me. I'm a "Adventure baby" and have no particular attachment to Ryan Drummond that everyone else does, and personally feel like Griffith gave the best performance for the character in Secret Rings, Black Knight and Unleashed. But the voice acting for those games is such a minor part of the issues they have.

I hope whoever they bring in will be less controversial than Roger or Jason were, but this being the Sonic fanbase has taught me otherwise since I have no reason to believe this change will actually mean anything in the long run. 

 

I'm fully expecting a Ben Schwartz sound alike, if not just bringing in Schwartz himself, and at that point the question becomes will Sega continue to give him absolute garbage scripts to work with. 

[azoo]

To give a more nuanced take, I think this is good.

I never clicked with Roger's voice for Sonic, in or out of the game writing. The gruffness always felt out of place, and every line's delivery sounds a little too dry and snarky in intonation and that always made him sound a bit like a jerk. He's done better roles for Sonic over the years, but to me it's similar to Jason where even in his fleeting moments where I found him better (OK KO in particular), he never really reached a point where I felt like I was in love with the performance. Not even to mention that (also like Griffith) he has a tendency to do the "Sonic" voice for many other similar roles he's in. Eh.

 So I think a change in VO in fine by me. He had a good run anyways; ten years is a long time for consistent voice work, even if not as long as it could be. Plus, he's bound to continue to get good work; he's a good voice actor. He'll be fine.

Get ready for Ben Schwartz.

[Chaos Incarnate]

This is crazy. Roger wasn’t the ideal voice for Sonic IMO, but he gave it his all in the 10 years he voiced him, which is a crazy amount of time for The Blue Blur. Is it fair to say he’s the most well known voice of the character, after 10 years of games, a tv show, a guest appearance on O.K KO, and a cameo in both Wreck it Ralph movies? 
 

I wonder what happened. If it was a matter of pay, or Sega wanting to bring in a new voice like Ben Schwartz? I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben is the new voice, since he does voice acting outside of just the Sonic movie. 

[Hero of Legend]

2 hours ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

Well, he's playing coy about it, but seems like it:

 

This reads as a "they haven't said I'm leaving yet" and the former as him being literal "I'm right here talking to you". Mike can't even say if he's voicing in anything that's not announced yet and to my knowledge never hints he does. He knows how volatile the business is and knows he can be dropped on a dime if Sega sees fit.

I guess Roger was more clued in for some reason, which is odd as actors announcing their departures from Sonic... NEVER happens. Ryan only did because he went after Sega to find answers and I guess he wasn't held by any NDA so he could say so. Mike doesn't seem like the guy who gives a shit if he stays or goes, especially as Eggman now is so little of his current workload, and frankly, I'd bet he'd love to get the fanbase off of his back finally. Mike's been super clear that the role is only a means to make ends meet, nothing more. He has no personal attachment to Eggman. He'd only hate to lose another source of income, but he's got decent work so I doubt he'll lose sleep over it if he does get replaced.

[Janshal]

Fuck!!! I hope that game leak isn't real!

 

I'll miss you Roger!!

Edited January 28, 2021 by Janshal

[Nathan]

I never was a big fan of his version of sonic but I wish him luck finding work but if he gets replaced by movie sonic I dislike him so much not the actor just his version of sonic.

[Rabbitearsblog]

24 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

While I'm deeply upset to see Roger leave, I can't help but think giving Sonic a new voice isn't really going to change the fundamental problems with the brand.  Of all things I've been invested about the series, Sonic's voice has never really been a high priority for me. I'm a "Adventure baby" and have no particular attachment to Ryan Drummond that everyone else does, and personally feel like Griffith gave the best performance for the character in Secret Rings, Black Knight and Unleashed. But the voice acting for those games is such a minor part of the issues they have.

I hope whoever they bring in will be less controversial than Roger or Jason were, but this being the Sonic fanbase has taught me otherwise since I have no reason to believe this change will actually mean anything in the long run. 

 

I'm fully expecting a Ben Schwartz sound alike, if not just bringing in Schwartz himself, and at that point the question becomes will Sega continue to give him absolute garbage scripts to work with. 

I agree that the writing is the biggest issue for the series, not who voiced the characters.  Even if they brought in a new voice actor for Sonic, that's not going to change the fact that the franchise is still suffering from terrible writing for the games.  If SEGA starts focusing on writing good stories again, like they did for the Adventure Era, then the franchise will pick itself up, even after getting a new VA for Sonic.

[Jango]

I'll miss the guy honestly. I think he ended up becoming my second favorite Sonic VA over the years, ngl. I like Drummond better, but that just might be my nostalgic bias towards Sonic Heroes, too bad it's all over. 

They better not fucking replace Mike Pollock tho'.

Thank you for all the good work, mister RCS.

 

 

[Hero of Legend]

Guys, Roger will be fine. He's really popular in anime dubs and other work. Sonic was far from his only role. Ryan was more "underground/under the radar" in comparison, so Sonic understandably meant so much more to him. Jason still had his other 4Kids work (as well as Pokemon as he just got the role of Cilan then).

Roger ain't gonna be on the street anytime soon, belieeeeve me.

[Kuzu]

13 minutes ago, Hero of Legend said:

This reads as a "they haven't said I'm leaving yet" and the former as him being literal "I'm right here talking to you". Mike can't even say if he's voicing in anything that's not announced yet and to my knowledge never hints he does. He knows how volatile the business is and knows he can be dropped on a dime if Sega sees fit.

I guess Roger was more clued in for some reason, which is odd as actors announcing their departures from Sonic... NEVER happens. Ryan only did because he went after Sega to find answers and I guess he wasn't held by any NDA so he could say so. Mike doesn't seem like the guy who gives a shit if he stays or goes, especially as Eggman now is so little of his current workload, and frankly, I'd bet he'd love to get the fanbase off of his back finally. Mike's been super clear that the role is only a means to make ends meet, nothing more. He has no personal attachment to Eggman. He'd only hate to lose another source of income, but he's got decent work so I doubt he'll lose sleep over it if he does get replaced.

You know, if I was younger and more naïve, I'd say this was pretty insensitive of him. But given how the Sonic fandom is about certain subjects, and how long he has been voicing Eggman, I honestly do not blame the man for being burnt out on the role, which is ironic he is by far the least controversial voice casting of all the characters. I think it frustrates him that Eggman is his only notable role and feels he has more talent than that. 

[Hero of Legend]

7 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

You know, if I was younger and more naïve, I'd say this was pretty insensitive of him. But given how the Sonic fandom is about certain subjects, and how long he has been voicing Eggman, I honestly do not blame the man for being burnt out on the role, which is ironic he is by far the least controversial voice casting of all the characters. I think it frustrates him that Eggman is his only notable role and feels he has more talent than that. 

Yep. All the time people address him as Eggman (literally in that very thread) and he himself has called it dehumanizing.

I bet his other roles barely scratch the surface of the amount of obsessive hounding he gets. Granted he didn't voice any other "notable" characters unless Cailou's dad recently counts. But I don't think the dedicated Cailou fanbase cares.

This also goes back to the while "means to an end" thing. Mike's a bit unusual where he doesn't see voice-acting as something to be "invested" in on a personal level. He loves doing it, but you're not going to see him "have fun" being his roles out in the open like Charles Martinet loves going "WAHOO!" all the time.

Mike's far more serious than his work lets on. Very "dry" if you will. Really reminds me of my uncle so I know from personal experience. So yeah I just don't see him shedding a single tear if Sega just plop a new voice of Eggman out there. He'll go "oh no... anyway" and move on.

[Miles Storzillo]

Good riddance.  He may have been fine in Lost World, but it’s about time he leaves.  Please bring Jason back.  For both Sonic and Shadow.

[Kittea]

I expected this to happen eventually, but I'm going to miss him in the role. He was one of my favourites. He clearly enjoyed the roll and the attitude he brought out of the character felt natural, even if the script was working against him at times. I do agree with Kuzu, that he wasn't given the same chance to show off his range as Jason. Even if Jason was only given that chance during his last couple of years in the roll.

I look forward to seeing who they hire next, Ben or otherwise.

[Winston]

1 hour ago, Hero of Legend said:

Guys, Roger will be fine. He's really popular in anime dubs and other work. Sonic was far from his only role. Ryan was more "underground/under the radar" in comparison, so Sonic understandably meant so much more to him. Jason still had his other 4Kids work (as well as Pokemon as he just got the role of Cilan then).

Roger ain't gonna be on the street anytime soon, belieeeeve me.

I don't think most people here are all that worried about his financial situation as much as they are bummed to hear about him getting fired from the role because they enjoy his performance. I would certainly hope he won't be on the street because of this, but I don't think that's why people are upset in this thread. He also seemed to really enjoy being Sonic too much like all the other previous actors have. He interacted a lot with the Sonic community from what I can tell, and he seems like a cool guy, regardless of if people like him as Sonic or not. 

 

1 hour ago, Hero of Legend said:

Yep. All the time people address him as Eggman (literally in that very thread) and he himself has called it dehumanizing.

I bet his other roles barely scratch the surface of the amount of obsessive hounding he gets. Granted he didn't voice any other "notable" characters unless Cailou's dad recently counts. But I don't think the dedicated Cailou fanbase cares.

This also goes back to the while "means to an end" thing. Mike's a bit unusual where he doesn't see voice-acting as something to be "invested" in on a personal level. He loves doing it, but you're not going to see him "have fun" being his roles out in the open like Charles Martinet loves going "WAHOO!" all the time.

Mike's far more serious than his work lets on. Very "dry" if you will. Really reminds me of my uncle so I know from personal experience. So yeah I just don't see him shedding a single tear if Sega just plop a new voice of Eggman out there. He'll go "oh no... anyway" and move on.

Yeah, I doubt Pollock would really care if he is replaced because it's really just a job to him and he gets plenty of work already. I'm sure he likes doing it or he wouldn't interact with the fanbase as much as he does, but I think he enjoys performing more than he just enjoys being Eggman. I would certainly never call him Eggman instead of his name, or constantly make Sonic references to him. I don't think I've ever interacted with Pollock in general. I'm sure it gets rather old quickly. I'd love being the voice of Eggman, but I wouldn't want everything I post on Twitter or social media in general to have a Sonic reference attached to it. 

[Gotta Go Rational]

SEGA gave a response to Game Informer's request for comment:

"Roger Craig Smith’s portrayal of Sonic the Hedgehog is one that fans are sure to remember for generations to come. He brought the character to life in a truly authentic way, with Sonic’s signature attitude and flair, and we’ll always be thankful to Roger for his contribution to the franchise."

https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/01/28/longtime-sonic-the-hedgehog-voice-actor-stepping-away-from-role

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I didn’t see this update coming. He was pretty good as Sonic even despite the stories post Unleashed.
 

A shame, but it was great while it lasted. I’ve grew up through all generations of Sonic’s VA, starting with Jaleel White (aka Steve Urkel), so as long as they can find someone that can get the character this isn’t too heavy on me. Helps that Sonic doesn’t really have a definitive voice along the likes of say Mark Hamill with his work on the Joker.

Let’s see how the next generation does.

[SBR2]

I am starting to wonder is it just Roger? Because Colleen Villard wished him well on Twitter and againMike is trolling people about his status so it makes me wonder if it's only Roger whose leaving. 

[Zaysho]

Fucking sucks. The new cast could barely hold on to other actors as they got bigger (Higgins, Bailey, Baker, Willingham) and Smith was clearly making a ton of headway in his career too and still stuck around. While I think there's been a few miscasts and bad direction where the series currently is, I really liked Smith's take in spite of that. If anything, most of the BangZoom cast fit the roles well, I felt and I thought most of them were wasted. I know people liked Schwartz's version in the movie, and from what little I'd seen of him in trailers and other stuff like DuckTales 2017 he's fine, but he really only works in the context of the movie and that specific version of Sonic to me, so I'm hoping at the least we're not getting more of that in the games.

Well, regardless, ten years is a hell of a run with this character.

[RadicalLaRuby]

So sudden. He wasn't my ideal Sonic (sounds too old), but he was still pretty good. I can tell he was having fun as the character. I'll definitely give him more points in Boom. I haven't watched much of the show, but each time I caught an episode, his delivery was always damn near perfect.

I can say the rest of the cast, was great as well, some of the weaker ones definitely improved like Shadow and Amy. Although I have absolutely NO fucking clue who voices Tails now. Last I checked was Kate Higgins and I think 2 changes happened after? 

Either way they have still overall remained solid performances. And I'm sure Roger has no trouble getting work, so good on him.

And hell, even if they're going have Ben Swartz, I'm more than cool with that. Dude killed it in the movie. He suits a younger, lesser experienced iteration of Sonic for me. Also can't wait to see how he plays off Tails in the sequel.