"Starfield's Silent Hero: Bethesda's Almost-Voiced Protagonist and Xbox's Glittering Space Dust"
Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi RPG, Starfield, initially considered having a voiced protagonist but ultimately decided to go with a silent protagonist to allow players maximum expression and customization. Lead designer Emil Pagliarulo revealed that they even recorded a few lines of dialogue but found the actor's performance too specific. The decision reflects a shift in the industry away from voiced protagonists in AAA games, with Bethesda realizing that players may enjoy the game more without a voiced protagonist. Starfield will feature over 200,000 lines of spoken dialogue without a voiced protagonist and will release on September 1 for Xbox Series X|S and PC.