The problem with a voiced protagonist (where that protagonist is not a predetermined character like the Witcher) is that the game will need to provide a wide range of voice choices to make people happy. The worst thing you can have is forcing players to go with a voice they hate and have that voice represent them through 100+ hours of playing a game. On top of that, any given player is also going to want more than just one voice that they like, so that when they replay the game they're not limited to the same voice again and again. And I don't buy that any game developer out there has the resources to provide this level of voice acting for the protagonist. So then if the game only comes with a limited set of voices to choose from, that would really suck (although a way around that is to provide an option to turn off the protagonist's voice, because I'd rather turn it off altogether than be forced to play the game with a voice choice I hate).
This is exactly what I was trying to say. I'd rather have them spend money and resources on OTHER things - more important to me items like Day/Night and a better resting system and maybe more D&D 5e ruleset difficulty and fixing shove and all the other things we've discussed at great lengths out here than to have them focus tons and tons of money and resources into voice acting enough MC voice options to make it good enough. Voice acting all the set origin characters is great and expected, but having enough voices to match half-orcs, dwarves, humans, elves, cutthroats, bloodthirsty marauders, sinister and sadistic evil characters, crafty and vile, etc etc etc is too much - and for what? So the MC can read the dialogue lines you select or so the MC can say things that you could have one Narrator say? - like that part right after you run into Ed and his siblings which could be done by a Narrator instead of the MC.
As mentioned a few times on other posts, I'm replaying Icewind Dale, and do you know what I discovered? There are a TON of voice choices, and I still hated 90% of them. I even picked one that I thought matched on of my female party members, and as we're traveling she keeps saying, "I'm ready... and willing," and stuff like that. Her sexual innuendos, though they may make other people happy, is not something I enjoy - especially since she says them ALL the time. I'd much prefer her to be quiet. And that goes for most of them, actually. They just don't fit with the concepts for my characters that I have in my head. One guy character, who I have as the main party lead, I've changed his voice like 4 times now, and I still don't like it.
I can't imagine how it would be with BG3 if they add even MORE lines that the MC is going to actually speak with voices you have to choose from. They're going to need like a hundred voice actors to provide enough solid options for all the races, personality types, etc. that players are going to want to choose from.
Yeah... I think it's a terrible idea once you start to really do the math. It's going to be SO much work on Larian's part to do it well enough that players aren't going to be totally ticked off that their sadistic, twisted and conniving Drow Sorcerer with goth appearance is sounding like a happy, friendly, smiling and warm-hearted cleric of Selune.
