Jennifer English steps away from Tides of Annihilation for health reasons, replacement found

Jennifer English — best known for voicing Shadowheart in Baldur's Gate 3 and Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 — is leaving her role as Gwendolyn, the protagonist of Eclipse Glow Games' upcoming action-adventure Tides of Annihilation. The studio announced the news on July 17, 2026, confirming English stepped back due to personal health reasons. She will remain connected to the project in an advisory capacity.

English informed Eclipse Glow Games in early June that she could no longer continue. In a personal statement posted to Instagram, she wrote: "Recently, I've found myself needing to slow down and reassess the commitments I've taken on. After careful thought, I've realised I need to take time to rest and properly look after my mental and physical health." She described the decision as "difficult yet personally necessary" and confirmed she personally introduced the team to her replacement — an as-yet-unnamed actor she describes as "a wonderful fit for Gwen." Eclipse Glow Games says the new performer's recent work in video games "left a strong impression on both Jennifer and our team — not only for the performance itself, but for the remarkable care and dedication she showed in understanding the character." The replacement is currently recording Gwendolyn's English voice performance.

Tides of Annihilation was first revealed at Sony's State of Play in February 2025. The game is a narrative-driven single-player action-adventure set in a modern-day London thrown into chaos by forces rooted in Arthurian legend, with Gwendolyn fighting alongside spectral Knights of the Round Table. It's developed by Eclipse Glow Games, a studio based in Chengdu, China, and sits alongside Black Myth: Wukong as part of a wave of high-profile single-player AAA titles coming out of China. English's involvement had been a significant draw for the project — she won a BAFTA earlier this year for her performance as Maelle in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and her credits also include Elden Ring, Wuthering Waves, and Marathon.

Players will hear the new actor's take on Gwendolyn for the first time at Gamescom 2026 in August, where Tides of Annihilation will have a playable hands-on demo. The studio also plans to share the new voice in select official updates around the same time. Eclipse Glow Games closed its statement by thanking English for bringing "depth, strength, vulnerability, and heart" to the role, and wishing her good health going forward.