Summary
This article contains discussion of domestic abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.
After a significant outcry from the community,Honkai: Star Railhas officially recast the role of the upcoming character Moze. The news comes days after the playerbase vocally called for controversial voice actor Chris Niosi to be replaced due to his history of inappropriate behavior and domestic abuse. A replacement voice actor has yet to be confirmed but developer HoYoverse will share more details on the situation and how it impacts Moze’s eventual release in the near future.
Posting to X (formerly Twitter),HoYoverseconfirmed thatNiosi has been replaced, further noting that all of Moze’s voice lines will be “updated"for the character’s eventual release.
No further explanation was provided, but players expressed their appreciation to the development studio for removing Niosi from the game.Niosialso released a public statement about the situation, suggesting thathe willingly stepped down from voicing Moze and requested that HoYo and Honkai: Star Rail recast the character with a different VA.
Honkai: Star Rail 2.4 - Release Date, New Characters, Banners, Events
All the details about Honkai: Star Rail 2.4, including its release date, new story quests, characters, banners, and more, have been revealed.
Chris Niosi’s Controversial Honkai: Star Rail Casting Explained
HSR Fans Were Understandably Angry From The Start
When HoYo first unveiled Moze as the next playable character coming toHonkai: Star Rail, it also announced that Niosi would be voicing the role, a decision that largely angered the community. The backlash stemmed from the allegations that have followed Niosi since 2019 whenthe actor was originally accused of manipulative behavior, and sexual and emotional abuse. In the months that followed, Niosi publically stated that the allegations were largely true (on a now-deleted Tumblr post that is quoted here by theBBC), prompting many companies to sever ties with the voice actor.
In his first apology, Niosi insisted that he was seeking help for his harmful tendencies by actively seeking medical interventions and therapy, a theme which is also present in his most recent statement about Moze’s recasting.He writes that he “has more work to do” before returning to the world of voice acting, while also insisting that he’s continued pursuing means to repair his reputation. Niosi concludes by thanking HoYoverse for allowing him to briefly play Moze before stating that he’ll be taking a break from social media.
As for Moze, the character’s future remains unclear.Honkai: Star Railis known for featuring anall-star cast of recognizable voice actors, so HoYo likely already has a decent idea of who will replace Niosi.Moze is expected to join the game in September 2024meaning the studio has just over a month toreplace all of the character’s lines.
