The video game industry is "a disaster zone" according to Starfield and Deux Ex star who had three projects canceled in quick succession

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

A seasoned voice actor has described the video game industry as a "disaster zone" after the back-to-back cancellation or rebooting of three projects they were working on.

Elias Toufexis, who portrays Sam Coe in Starfield and Adam Jensen in the two most recent Deus Ex games and has nearly 20 years' experience as a video game actor, took to Twitter yesterday to discuss the state of the industry: "Deus Ex got canceled. This other massive game I was both acting and directing on got canceled and a third game I was acting and direction on got reworked and [is] now starting from scratch, whole new team."

Describing the video game world as "a disaster zone right now," Toufexis went on to joke that "I am presently working on two or three other games but I'd expect them all to be canceled before the end of the week or something."

It's not clear what two of those projects are, but the public cancellation of a third new-era Deus Ex game last week is certainly a high-profile example of the uncertainty that continues to rock the industry. Embracer Group, which hoovered up swathes of the industry before losing out on a $2 billion investment, has shuttered some of the studios that it purchased over recent years, with layoffs affecting many others, including Human Revolution and Mankind Divided developer Eidos Montreal.

Toufexis notes that he'll likely remain financially secure due to "many irons in the fire," but this isn't the first time he's spoken out about the current state of the industry. He recently addressed Deus Ex fans over the game's cancellation, and denigrated the rise of AI in voice acting circles, suggesting that his advice to burgeoning actors would be "don't bother" starting a career.

Toufexis also commented on the recent deal between studios and SAG-AFTRA over AI, saying that talent was not contacted over the agreement.

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.

Read more
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Deus Ex Adam Jensen actor responds to potential story plans for the cyberpunk RPG's canceled sequel: "Hey this would have been fun huh?"
Wyrdsong
Skyrim and Fallout veterans' new open-world RPG is now a roguelike that's not open-world, after funding issues brought the team "down to a skeleton crew"
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach
Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor says CEOs "just want to save money" with AI: "It'll destroy their reputation, their company, everything"
The Witcher 3
Resident Evil and Witcher 3 mocap director says video game industry layoffs have made it so "nothing is guaranteed," but AI won’t be replacing real actors "anytime soon"
Zenless Zone Zero screenshot of Soldier 11 eating crackers
Actors supporting AI protections didn't know they were being replaced in Zenless Zone Zero update 1.6: "I found out the role was recast today alongside all of you"
Star Wars Eclipse
Star Wars Eclipse studio lead assures fans that Quantic Dream developers "remain unaffected" by NetEase layoffs, and "are continuing to develop our projects at full pace"
Latest in RPG
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
A Dragon Age character stares out against a blue background.
BioWare makes a return to Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a surprise PC update, months after layoffs and a seemingly final patch
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
"I believe in experiencing life and art through human expression, not software": Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor calls for proper AI regulation
Yasuke riding through a village looking for Knowledge in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows' prologue is the most gripping in franchise history, but I'm fixated on the tiny details
Naoe perched in front of a castle in Assassin's Creed Shadows
I've spent 20 hours in Assassin's Creed Shadows chasing drip and decor, and it's proving to be my biggest source of motivation in the RPG
Cabernet screenshot showing vampire protagonist Liza sucking someone's blood
Cabernet is the kind of vampire RPG I've been looking for since Masquerade Bloodlines, and I'm already plotting my next run 6 hours in
Latest in News
Silent Hill f screenshot showing the protagonist
Silent Hill f hasn't actually been banned in Australia, but it's not out of the woods yet
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Daredevil star Charlie Cox says keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home cameo a secret for two years was a "nightmare"
Disney Twisted-Wonderland the Animation
After four years, Disney's anime show based on hugely popular gacha game gets a proper trailer
Assassin's Creed Shadows
As Assassin's Creed Shadows overtakes Valhalla and Odyssey, Ubisoft promises "this is just the beginning" in heartfelt thanks to players
Dante in Netflix's Devil May Cry
Netflix unveils a stacked anime trailer filled with hits like Sakamoto Days and upcoming releases like Fire Force and Moonrise
Jujutsu Kaisen
After no big Jujutsu Kaisen announcements on a week packed with anime news, fans are now convinced season 3 is skipping 2025