Final Fantasy 7 Revelation recast Sephiroth's English voice actor — Tyler Hoechlin is out, Travis Willingham is in

Square Enix has recast Sephiroth's English voice actor for Final Fantasy 7 Revelation. Director Naoki Hamaguchi confirmed the change in an interview with YouTuber and FF7 enthusiast Maximilian Dood, just hours after the game's Summer Game Fest 2026 reveal trailer debuted — and fans immediately clocked that Sephiroth sounded different, his voice noticeably lower and grittier than before.

Tyler Hoechlin, who voiced Sephiroth across Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Rebirth, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy Reunion, and Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, is out because he was unavailable during development. Stepping into the role is Travis Willingham, a veteran voice actor with an enormous resume spanning games, films, and TV. You might know him as Knuckles in Sonic Boom, Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Thor across multiple Marvel projects, or as one of the core cast members of Dungeons & Dragons actual-play show Critical Role. Crucially, Willingham has already worked on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts franchises, so this isn't entirely new ground for him.

Hoechlin built the character across the entire remake trilogy, so losing him right as the story reaches its climax will sting for some fans. That said, Willingham brings serious credentials — he's one of the most recognizable voices in the industry. How the broader FF7 community responds will become clearer in the coming months as more of his performance surfaces.

Final Fantasy 7 Revelation launches in spring 2027 simultaneously on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Square Enix hasn't pinned down a specific release date yet.