If you’ve spent any time running co-op missions or grinding for rare gear in Nexon’s looter shooter, you’ve probably wondered who voices Ajax in The First Descendant. This gruff, no-nonsense tank character is a staple of many beginner and endgame teams, so it’s no surprise fans are curious about the talent behind his gravelly one-liners and tough-as-nails demeanor. I’ve spent dozens of hours playing as Ajax myself, and I’ve always loved how his voice perfectly balances gruff authority with quiet moments of vulnerability that make him feel far more real than your average shooter protagonist. Today we’re breaking down everything you need to know about his voice actor, their process for the role, and what makes their performance stand out so much.
Who Voices Ajax in The First Descendant? Meet the Lead Actor
The actor behind Ajax’s iconic voice is Gideon Emery, a British-South African voice performer with over 20 years of experience in video games, film, and television. Emery was hand-picked for the role by Nexon’s writing team after they auditioned more than 30 actors for the part, all looking for someone who could capture Ajax’s unique mix of battle-hardened experience and underlying loyalty to his team. You might recognize his voice from dozens of other popular games, including his fan-favorite turn as Balthier in Final Fantasy XII, his performance as Big Boss in multiple Metal Gear Solid titles, and even guest roles in games like God of War Ragnarök and Cyberpunk 2077. Emery has said in recent interviews that he jumped at the chance to play Ajax, as he’s a long-time fan of co-op looter shooters and loved the character’s layered backstory.
It’s not hard to see why the team chose Emery for the role. His natural ability to switch between stern, commanding lines during high-stakes fights and softer, more reflective lines during rare story cutscenes makes Ajax feel like a fully realized person, not just a gameplay archetype. The development team has noted that Emery often pushed for more small, human moments for the character, even if they only appeared as offhand lines during gameplay, to avoid making him feel like a one-note tough guy.
How Gideon Emery Approached the Role of Ajax
I’ve listened to a lot of Ajax’s in-game lines while playing, and it’s clear Emery didn’t just show up and read a script for this role. He spent three months working closely with The First Descendant’s narrative team to dig into Ajax’s backstory as a former soldier who lost his squad in a failed Vulpis mission, which informs almost every line he delivers in the game. Emery intentionally lowered his natural register by almost an octave for the role, to match Ajax’s physical design as a large, heavily augmented tank character who’s spent decades on the front lines. He also made a point to ad-lib many of Ajax’s casual in-battle one-liners, which is why so many of them feel so natural and unscripted compared to lines from other characters.
For example, that throwaway line Ajax says when you revive a teammate (“Told you I’d have your back”) was entirely Emery’s idea, and it’s become one of the character’s most quoted lines among fans. He also pushed to add small, frustrated huffs and sighs that play when Ajax takes heavy damage or uses his ultimate ability, small details that add a huge amount of personality to the character without requiring extra writing work from the team. Emery has said that he approached the role as if he was playing a real veteran, not a video game character, which is why so much of his performance feels so grounded.
Standout Roles You Might Recognize Gideon Emery From
If Ajax’s voice sounded familiar to you the first time you selected him in the character menu, you’re not alone. Emery has one of the most recognizable voices in the gaming industry, with credits spanning almost every major franchise of the last 20 years. Some of his most notable roles include:
- Balthier in Final Fantasy XII: The smooth-talking sky pirate is still one of Emery’s most beloved roles, and many fans first heard his work in this classic PS2 JRPG.
- Big Boss/Venom Snake in Metal Gear Solid V: Emery took over the role from David Hayter for the 2015 title, bringing a quieter, more world-weary energy to the iconic character.
- Odin in God of War Ragnarök: He played the cunning, manipulative Allfather in the 2022 blockbuster, earning widespread critical acclaim for his performance.
- Takemura in Cyberpunk 2077: Emery voiced the loyal Arasaka bodyguard, a fan-favorite character who plays a key role in one of the game’s main story paths.
Emery has also done voice work for dozens of animated shows and live-action films, but he’s said repeatedly that video game roles give him far more room to explore complex, layered characters than most other acting gigs. That makes a lot of sense when you look at how much depth he brought to Ajax, even with the game’s focus on gameplay over long cutscenes. He’s also mentioned that he’d be happy to return for future The First Descendant content, including planned story expansions that will dive deeper into Ajax’s past.
Why Ajax’s Voice Performance Stands Out Among The First Descendant’s Cast
Looter shooters aren’t exactly known for their award-winning voice acting, most developers prioritize gameplay loops and loot systems over character depth, but The First Descendant is a nice exception to that rule. Ajax’s voice performance adds a huge amount of personality to a character that could have easily felt generic as the “tough tank” of the roster. Unlike many other playable characters in the game, Ajax has almost no over-the-top one-liners or exaggerated personality quirks, and Emery’s understated performance makes him feel like a real, grounded person you’d actually want on your team during a tough mission.
Many players I’ve talked to in the game’s official Discord server say they main Ajax specifically because of his voice, which says a lot about how impactful good voice acting can be even in a game that’s not focused on story. The only downside to Emery’s performance? We don’t get nearly enough lines from Ajax in the game’s main story cutscenes, and fans have been begging Nexon to add more Ajax-focused story content in future updates. Nexon has already teased that Ajax will get a dedicated story chapter in the next major update, so we’ll likely get to hear a lot more of Emery’s work on the character soon.
At the end of the day, if you were curious who voices Ajax in The First Descendant, Gideon Emery’s decades of experience as a voice actor are exactly why the character feels so memorable and beloved by the game’s fanbase. His attention to detail, commitment to the character’s backstory, and natural delivery turn a fairly standard tank archetype into one of the standout parts of the entire game. If you’re an Ajax main like I am, keep an eye out for future updates that are rumored to add more voice lines and story content focused on the character, so we’ll get to hear even more of Emery’s great performance soon.