Summary
- Moze voice actor Chris Niosi steps down from Honkai: Star Rail after backlash and past abuse allegations.
- HoYoverse to re-record Moze's lines with new voice actor for upcoming Version 2.5 update.
Chris Niosi has stepped down as the voice of Moze in Honkai: Star Rail, leaving HoYoverse to search for a suitable replacement. In a recent Twitter post, Niosi addressed some concerns from the Honkai: Star Rail community and finalized his departure from the game to pursue self-reflection in the form of therapy and medical intervention. HoYoverse also released a statement to acknowledge Niosi stepping down from the role, ensuring that Moze's lines would be re-recorded in a future update.
Moze is an upcoming 4-star DPS character, set for release in Honkai: Star Rail's upcoming Version 2.5 update. Moze acts as the Shadow Guard of the Yaoqing, an expert in close-range assassination from the shadows. HoYoverse has confirmed that Moze will follow the Honkai: Star Rail Path of The Hunt and possess the elemental power of Lightning, like Acheron.
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HoYoverse announced it would be finding a replacement for Chris Niosi as the voice of Moze following backlash from the Honkai: Star Rail community. Earlier this week, Niosi confirmed in a Twitter post that he had contacted his agent and voluntarily resigned from the role. Following the announcement on July 18 that Niosi would be providing Moze's voice, many Honkai: Star Rail players reacted negatively to his involvement, drawing attention to past abuse allegations. In July 2019, one of Niosi's ex-girlfriends came forward to accuse him of emotionally and sexually manipulating behavior.
Chris Niosi Issues Public Apology After Stepping Down From Honkai: Star Rail Role
Once his ex-girlfriend's blog post made the rounds on the internet, several other ex-partners and former colleagues of the voice actor also came forward to report sexual misconduct. After the initial allegations surfaced, Niosi was removed from Nintendo's Fire Emblem series as the voice of the Fire Emblem: Three Houses protagonist, Byleth, who returned in Fire Emblem Engage. When HoYoverse hired him to play Moze, the Honkai: Star Rail community expressed their disapproval and outrage. HoYoverse was subsequently criticized for failing to perform a sufficient background check on Niosi, concerns which, quote, a "simple Google search" would have alleviated.
In his own statement, Niosi states that he understands the public's reaction to his past shortcomings, but ensures the Honkai: Star Rail community and the entire gaming industry that he is actively pursuing medical intervention and remains committed to his life-long work of rehabilitating himself into a better person. As Niosi signs off the post, he thanks HoYoverse for the opportunity, however short-lived it may have been. For HoYoverse, the hunt is on to find a suitable replacement before Moze's anticipated release as part of Honkai: Star Rail Version 2.5 in a few months' time.
Honkai: Star Rail
- Released
- April 26, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
They call them, "Aeons" in this galaxy. They construct reality, erase stars, and leave their marks on countless worlds. Together with your companions you'll travel across the galaxy on the Astral Express, following the path once traveled by the Aeons. From here, you will explore new civilizations, meet new comrades, and begin new adventures among countless fantastical worlds. All the answers you seek will be uncovered among the stars.
Well what're you waiting for? Are you ready to begin this trailblazing journey?
Honkai: Star Rail is a new HoYoverse space fantasy RPG. Hop aboard the Astral Express and experience the galaxy's infinite wonders filled with adventure and thrills.
Players will meet new companions across various worlds and maybe even run into some familiar faces. Overcome the struggles together caused by Stellaron and unravel the hidden truths behind it! May this journey lead us starward!
- ESRB
- Teen / Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Simulated Gambling, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Publisher(s)
- HoYoverse (Formerly miHoYo)
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Turn-Based RPG
