Square Enix unveiled Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the third and final game in the ongoing remake project, during the 2026 Summer Game Fest Showcase by way of a lengthy trailer highlighting Cloud Strife and Co.’s journey in this last installment. Fans of the series noticed, however, that series antagonist Sephiroth sounded a little different. And that’s because his English voice, provided by Tyler Hoechlin (Superman & Lois), has been replaced by Critical Role’s Travis Willingham.
In a post-show stream at Maximilian Dood’s house, Final Fantasy VII Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi, who also directed 2024’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, revealed that Hoechlin was unable to record VO for the villain this time around, presumably due to scheduling reasons. “The former voice actor [who voiced] Sephiroth was unable to provide his voice for this one, so we do have a new voice actor,” Hamaguchi said on the stream through an interpreter. Square Enix later told Maximilian Dood (seemingly off-stream) that the new voice actor is Willingham.
Willingham is perhaps best known these days as a table mainstay in Critical Role and CEO of the D&D streaming company, given just how massive that production is now, but he’s also a prolific voice actor with roles in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, One Piece, Naruto Shippuden, Fullmetal Alchemist, and more. He’s been Marvel’s go-to voice for Thor in various properties for years, too, and he’s best friends with Vincent Valentine voice actor Matt Mercer (the two are also Critical Role co-founders, along with others in the cast as well). If the few Sephiroth lines we get in the Final Fantasy VII Revelation reveal trailer are any indication, Square Enix has selected a great voice to finish the trilogy.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation is due out simultaneously on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC sometime in Spring 2027.
In the meantime, read Game Informer’s Final Fantasy VII Remake review and then check out our Final Fantasy VII Rebirth review. After that, read through our Summer Game Fest 2026 Showcase round-up to see all the other reveals that happened last night.
What do you think about Travis Willingham’s take on Sephiroth’s voice? Let us know in the comments below!
