For some patches before Version 1.6 of Zenless Zone Zero, the community suffered due to the lack of some English voices of essential characters. At least, this was for the English language dubbing. In most cases, it was due to the SAG-AFTRA strike and the studios where the voice actors work; here, HoYoverse is not to blame. However, for ZZZ 1.6, some characters finally recovered their voices but with different actors, like Soldier 11 and Lycaon. Yet, that’s not the point. Lycaon’s former VA made some statements about why he was no longer in Zenless Zone Zero, which earned him a massive cancellation.
After a few months, some actors could switch studios and resume their work for HoYoverse games. However, just as the players were surprised, VA Nicholas Thurkettle shared on X that he was just as surprised not knowing he was replaced as Lycaon in Zenless Zone Zero. Shortly after this statement, Nicholas thanked the fans for their tremendous support. This was at least until the players noticed something fishy.
Rumors circulated that Nicholas wasn’t working due to the strike, but that wasn’t the case. It was because his schedule was too full to record, according to these rumours. In February, the actor posted again on X, denying these rumors and saying no one contacted him to record. This created confusion among his fans and ZZZ players, but his reaction to the former VA of Soldier 11, Emeri Chase, was the final nail in his coffin. The cancellation started when Nicholas commented after Emeri’s publication, saying he was also participating in the strike.
The kicker here is that Nicholas first tried to victimize himself, saying that HoYoverse and his recording studio didn’t tell him about the change. Hours later, Emeri posted she was on strike. Not long after, Nicholas also posted he was on strike, contradicting his previous post and making him look like a liar. In the end, this story turns into “the voice actor who cried wolf” (no pun intended), as he tries to make HoYoverse and the studio look bad when he is the one who decides to go on strike. Or at least that’s the reaction that everyone got from these events. Ultimately, everyone is free to go on strike and ask for what’s fair to them, but the way Nicholas handled it wasn’t ideal in the eyes of ZZZ players.
