The WAR Project, one of the large-scale community mods for The Witcher 3, aims to rebuild a plague-themed quest chain that was abandoned by CD Projekt Red during the game's development. The project not only adds maps or items; it also seeks voice actors to bring the dialogues of the cut quests to life. During this process, a significant change occurred: the voice actor selected for Temeria commander Vernon Roche was removed from the project due to a serious behavioral violation.
Restoring Cut Quests
The starting point of The WAR Project is to bring a story branch that is not in the final version of The Witcher 3 to players. CD Projekt Red had shelved this plague-themed quest chain before finishing the game. The mod team is rebuilding the quests using the pieces left in the game's data. However, since there aren't only data crumbs, they are also filling the missing connections with content they write themselves. This turns the project from a simple 'restoration' effort into almost a side-game development process.
Why Is Roche So Important?
One of the key roles in the cut quests belongs to Vernon Roche, whom we know from The Witcher 2. Roche, voiced by Mark Healy in the original game, is a commander known for his loyalty to Temeria. Since he will also be at the center of the story in the mod, finding the right voice is of great importance for the team. Moreover, there are no ready audio recordings for these quests. Therefore, the mod team is also looking for new voice actors for main game characters such as Geralt and Ves.
Why Is Finding the Right Voice Difficult?
Cut content mods usually deal not only with technical limitations; they also try to capture the spirit of the lost dialogues. Specifically for The WAR Project, this means bringing to life the characters in players' memories. If the voice of a strong figure like Roche is chosen incorrectly, the mod's atmosphere could be seriously harmed. Therefore, it is important for the team to take the auditions seriously and manage the process transparently despite the incident.
Voice Acting Change and Its Reason
The WAR Project team had initially selected a voice actor with the username Grlt for Roche. However, in an announcement made on Discord on August 11 under the signature Ferroxius, it was announced that the actor had been removed from the project due to a serious misconduct incident. The statement asked that the details of the incident be kept confidential and that no questions be asked about it. The team also apologized to those affected and stressed that inappropriate behavior in the community would never be tolerated.
Searching for a New Voice
Auditions for Roche's vacated spot have been reopened. However, this process will last only one week. Because Roche is an important figure in the mod's main story, and it will take time for the new actor to record all the dialogues. Candidates who previously applied for Roche and were satisfied with their audition do not need to reapply. The team also noted that they do not believe this change will seriously affect the currently planned schedule.
The Project's Future and Community Climate
This change appears to be a minor setback before the mod's full release planned for 2027. The announcement that Grlt had been chosen as Roche's voice actor was made only on July 7. Therefore, it is likely that a large part of the recordings has not yet been completed. Still, such events remind us of how fragile the balances are on which volunteer teams operate. In community projects, not only talent but also a healthy working environment is decisive. The reaction given shows that the team has drawn a clear line on this matter.
What Might Happen Next?
After the one-week audition process, the new voice of Roche will be determined. If the team finds a good match, they can continue the recording process from where it left off. However, it is also a matter of curiosity how the performance will be received after the new actor is selected. After all, the mod is a great source of excitement for players who love CD Projekt Red's cut content. The biggest hope is that the project, which has released a demo so far, can overcome this setback and continue on its way. The decisive stance expressed in the statements once again shows that the project is a production to be taken seriously.
