Development studio Bungie has officially dropped "Game of Thrones" star Peter Dinklage from the voice cast of its first-person shooter game "Destiny."
The actor, who used to provide the voice of Ghost, will be replaced by Nolan North, a veteran in the gaming industry, Game Informer reported.
In the game, Ghost is considered as one of the central characters. As a floating robot, it guides players throughout the game by offering insights and other helpful tidbits regarding the missions.
Since "Destiny" was first released in 2014, the actor who played the iconic Tyrion Lannister in HBO's "Game of Thrones" television series has been the voice behind Ghost. However, in upcoming updates for "Destiny," particularly in "The Taken King" DLC, Dinklage will no longer be part of the game.
Instead, he will be replaced by North, who has been a video game voice actor since 1999. Some of his most notable works include "Uncharted," "Assassin's Creed," "Call of Duty" and "Batman: Arkham Knight."
According to the AV Club, Dinklage's removal from the game was probably due to his growing fame. With the popularity of "Game of Thrones" and the actor's expanding list of projects, Bungie may have decided to axe Dinklage for cost-cutting purposes.
Also, another theory behind the actor's departure is his waning interest in the game. Fans noticed that in some of Dinklage's lines as Ghost, he sounded a bit bored compared to his earlier dialogues.
As noted by Independent, gamers said that his lackluster performance in the game could be attributed to the script, especially since he was given poorly-written lines such as "That wizard came from the moon," which instantly became the subject of countless memes.
So, with the arrival of "The Taken King" DLC on September 15, gamers will no longer be accompanied by the Dinklage-voiced Ghost. And as a form of commitment with the new voice actor, Bungie has also re-recorded Dinklage's old lines with North.
As for the upcoming expansion pack, aside from the addition of North, "The Taken King" will come with various changes in terms of game play, according to Gamespot. For one, the game's Matchmaking system has been overhauled and will now pit teams with similar skill levels against each other.
Bungie also gave the non-playable character, the Gunsmith, a more important role in the game. Like other vendors in the game, this character will now have a reputation meter. It will also be able to help increase the rank or reputation of characters through its services.
The developer will also introduce a new way for players to upgrade their exotic and legendary weapons in the game. With the update, players will now be able to customize these weapons using the same exotic and legendary items from their inventory.
