Video game voice actors are an important part of the development progress. People like Michael Ironside (aka Sam Fisher from the Splinter Cell series), and Nolan North - best known as Unchartered's Nathan Drake - have had a huge impact on the industry by providing voices for some of the biggest games. With such a devoted fan base, it's easy to see why fans may be upset when such talent takes a step back from their most famous roles.

Recently, actor Roger Craig Smith announced he is no longer voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in order to pursue other ventures, a role he has held for a decade. While some may still be reeling from the news, Smith did take to Twitter just yesterday where he posted a brief video thanking his fans for their kind words in a moment of genuine sincerity and humility.

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He also took the opportunity to make it clear that he is not retiring from voice acting and that more stuff featuring him will be coming out at some point. Unsurprisingly, there were numerous replies to his tweet in which fans announced their admiration of his work and thanked him in kind for providing the voice of one of gaming's most iconic characters. It's always nice when fans and actors have a mutual appreciation for each other, and also why seeing voice acting legends drop their most well-loved role can be devastating.

Of course, Sonic the Hedgehog is not the only voice he does. As well as voicing Chris Redfield from the Resident Evil series, he's also been the voice of Batman from the Arkham Origins game. It's not just video games either. He's also worked in a ton of animated movies voicing for such successes as The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10 and Celebrity Deathmatch. Although not technically typecast, he often returns to voice the blue blur, doing so for the 2013 film Wreck-It Ralph.

It's clear that Smith has quite the range, but most fans will likely always consider him the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. There's no word yet about who will take over the role, but the gaming community will likely have its ears to the ground waiting for word on who can fill such big shoes. Netflix has recently announced a Sonic the Hedgehog animated series which is due for release in 2022, so before then it's likely fans will know who is taking over the role.

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