Bungie’s Marathon features a talented voice cast, distinguishing it from Arc Raiders’ AI-driven characters, with actors from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Bungie has revealed an impressive lineup of voice talent for its upcoming shooter, Marathon, featuring actors from titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Hades 2.

In addition to announcing a March release date, Bungie confirmed that Marathon will showcase a diverse cast, including “Krizia Bajos, Samantha Béart, Beau Bridgland, Ry Chase, Roger Clark, Darin De Paul, Jennifer English, Dave Fennoy, Nika Futterman, Morla Gorrondona, Reina Guthrie, Donnla Hughes, Keston John, Sohm Kapila, Rich Keeble, Elliot Knight, Erica Lindbeck, Piotr Michael, Brent Mukai, Neil Newbon, Ariana Nicole George, Emily O’Brien, Lee Shorten, Jason Spisak, Ben Starr, JB Tadena, Fred Tatasciore, Craig Lee Thomas, Elias Toufexis, Oliver Vaquer, Scott Whyte, Tracy Wiles, Erin Yvette.”

That’s quite the roster! Baldur’s Gate 3 is well represented with Newbon, Béart, English, and Wiles, while the latter two also appear in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 alongside Starr and Keeble. Plus, the cast includes industry veterans like Fennoy, Clark, O’Brien, Lindbeck, Tatasciore, and Yvette, adding even more star power.

Since Marathon is a multiplayer experience, the depth of voice acting may not match some of these actors’ previous roles. However, it seems Bungie is prioritizing quality voice work over relying heavily on AI, which gives it an edge over competitors like Arc Raiders. In contrast, Arc Raiders employs a mix of real actor recordings and text-to-speech for player communications, a choice that has sparked controversy within the community.

With last year’s art plagiarism issue still fresh, I remain cautious about the potential for AI involvement in Marathon. But for now, this impressive cast is a significant win for Bungie in my book.

Bungie also showcased Marathon’s revamped “Runner Shell” classes, and I still have concerns about invisibility and wall hacks.