Meet the Voices of Arctic Awakening

One thing both reviewers and players have consistently agreed on since launch is the quality of the voice acting. From the very start, we knew that believable performances would be key to a compelling narrative experience, which is why we put so much time and effort into casting the right ensemble.

After reviewing over 300 auditions, we spent 3+ years recording dialogue due to the sheer volume of lines and the fact that we began recording before the full script was complete. This approach allowed performances to grow naturally alongside the game and its characters, and we formed some incredible bonds with everyone involved in bringing this story to life.

Here’s a quick intro to the people behind the voices:

Jason Maniccia as Kai

Jason played Kai, our lead and player character, and carried a huge amount of the game on his shoulders. As a veteran theater actor, he always brought something new and unexpected to the role. His performance is both subtle and grounded, making you believe in everything Kai goes through as a character. Any day that Jason showed up on the recording schedule was an exciting one.

Alejandro Saab as Alfie

Alejandro voiced Alfie, everyone's favorite therapy bot who may or may not be overly helpful with wilderness navigation. As many of you have pointed out, it feels like Alejandro is in everything lately, including credits from games and anime like Genshin Impact, Marvel Rivals, Hell's Paradise, Link Click, Honkai, and many more. For Alfie, he perfectly balanced being a machine with subtle hints of humanity, bringing both heart and humor to an otherwise serious setting.

Dave B. Mitchell as Donovan

Dave played Donovan, your missing co-pilot and ex-Navy rival turned friend. From the very first line read, Dave transformed into the character and was an absolute joy to work with. A true industry veteran, his credits span practically every major franchise of the last decade-plus, including Final Fantasy VII, Sonic, Spider-Man, Battlefield, Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty, Hades II, Fortnite, World of Warcraft, and more.

Cia Court as Holly

Cia voiced Holly, our resident conspiracy theorist with a sharp wit, dose of humor, and plenty going on under the surface. She delivered a masterful performance for a deceptively complex character, and it's no surprise that her reads often pushed scenes in unexpected and exciting directions. You might recognize her work from games like League of Legends, The Sims 4, The Wolf Among Us, Horizon Forbidden West, and others.

Mara Junot as Naomi

Mara played Naomi, a character with an outsized impact despite a relatively limited line count. This was a challenging role full of emotion and nuance with little room to grow into the character. Mara nailed it from the start, and she made every scene she was in better for it. You'll likely recognize her voice from Arcane, Marvel Rivals, Mortal Kombat, Genshin Impact, Destiny 2, Starfield, The Walking Dead, Far Cry, and so many more.

Julian Kwasneski, Voice Director

From casting and voice direction to editing, Julian was a constant presence throughout the entire VO process. He comes from a background at LucasArts and Telltale, having directed titles and franchises like Star Wars, Marvel, The Walking Dead, and Firewatch. That experience really shows in the final game by elevating performances and keeping them consistent over multiple years of recording. The game simply would not sound the same without him.

Huge thanks to everyone involved! Voice acting is one of the most invisible parts of game dev when it works well, and it was truly an honor to work with such a talented group of people to bring this game to all of you.