Yes but you have to look at it from a business standpoint as well.
No, we don't. What makes money is not in OUR best interests, it is in the developers best interests, those two are very often in conflict. Your argument could defend lootboxes, just because it makes money doesn't mean that it is good for the game.
Hardcore "roleplayers" is a very small, very niche group of people.
Not as small as you think, though it is irrelevant anyway.
When studios make games, whether you like it or not, it is to appeal to a much larger customer base.
Targeted marketing, stretching wide makes for a poor product.
So yes, VA and production value make a big difference in sales.
You came to this conclusion how?
The days of text non speaking games are in the past, because lets be honest the majority of people don't even like to read menus let alone a game full of text boxes.
The days of picking your class and race are in the past, because lets be honest, most people just play human fighter and don't like to think about what to pick.
I will disagree with you about Witcher, because RPG is not just defined by how you roleplay your character (as in like the old day D&D days, it is making decisions that define what your character is going to be. To say that it isn't TRUE RPG because it is a set character, with a set voice, and I mean this in the most respectful way as I can, sounds like elitest drivel
Witcher is a great RPG, but it is a different kind of RPG, Withcer to Baldur's gate 3 is what Doom is to Call of duty, both shooters but very different. In Witcher you roleplay the character you are given, in Baldur's gate 3 you can make your own. Adding a voice to a custom PC is like adding a Plasma gun to Call of duty, it might be fun but it makes no sense and makes the game worse. It would make sense to ask for VA for all the origin characters though.
They can't make games that are only attractive to people that go to D&D cons, that roleplay their favorite character and want to live in the days of the past.
I don't go to D&D cons and I don't live in the past, but I want to play atleast SOME games where I can make MY character, even though I don't have a problem with playing pre-set character if the game is good.
I play a lot of RPGs (all the Diablos, All of the ME, DA, I played BG way way back when but unlike some I don't view it as some religious experience, DOS 1&2, I mean I can't list them all),
See, you put Diablo, ME and BG in the same category, but the 3 games are part of three very different sub genres of RPGs, you could just as easily add GTA to that list, you could say that God of War and Devil may cry are also RPGs, since you take on a role of a character and play as them, but we are talking about different kind of roleplaying here. They are not the same, and what makes one of those genres better makes the other one worse.
Just because I don't feel the need to visualize my character with a particular accent, or particular tone of voice, or enjoy the cinematic experience of seeing and hearing well acted scenes, does not mean I am not role playing.
You are free to have your opinion and tastes and to propose VA to be implemented, and it's cool that it does not bother you, but VA objectively takes away from customization, UNLESS, as I have stated in one of my other posts, there are metric tons of different voices and demenours to pick from, but that will never happen.
I dare say, the majority of gamers out there, especially in the video game market tend to feel the same.
You are trying too hard to justify the way you feel by saying many others feel the same. How many people agree with you is irrelevant, you are still allowed to have your opinion, and your position doesn't become weaker / stronger depending on how many people think the same.
