The Alters’ Alex Jordan Looks Back on Gollum Flop, ‘I’ve Learned to Disconnect’

The Alters’ Alex Jordan Looks Back on Gollum Flop, ‘I’ve Learned to Disconnect’


Alex Jordan is a familiar voice to many, having starred in the likes of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the surprise hit of 2025 The Alters. GAMINGbible had the opportunity to chat with the actor at the recent MCM Comic Con London about the great wealth of projects he’s been a part of.

Alex’s first job within the games industry was in 2014’s Game of Thrones: A Telltale Series, a faithful adaptation of the George R. R. Martin novels and the HBO TV series, where he portrayed Asher Forrester.

Game of Thrones: A Telltale Series spared no expense with its amazing cast, bringing in actors from the HBO series, including Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Natalie Dormer, Iwan Rheon, and more. Sadly, this was far from a ‘series’ because it was cancelled after just one season.

On Game Of Thrones: A Telltale Series’ Cancellation

Game of Thrones – A Telltale Games Series, Telltale Games

“What was really interesting for me, about that game, is that I was initially auditioning as Tyrion Lannister, and they really liked my impression, and this was right at the peak of Game of Thrones’ popularity, around season three,” Alex says.

“Then I found out that I didn’t get the job, and I was gutted, obviously. I later found out that I never got the role because they cast Peter Dinklage.

“So, if I’m going to lose that role to anyone, it would be to the actor who played him in the HBO series. However, I was cast as Asher, who was one of the lead characters in the game, so it all worked out in the end.”

Alex adds: “I got to meet much of the Game of Thrones cast, and Telltale Games was changing the way we looked at ‘choose your own adventure’ style games.

“So to work on that project was an incredible experience. I was gutted that the studio was shut down and its Game of Thrones title was cancelled.

“Thankfully, at least, some of the original Telltale Games developers are at AdHoc Studio and have released Dispatch. I’m so excited to play that and return to the episodic format.”

Dragon Age: The Veilguard And That Gollum Game

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Daedalic Entertainment

After reportedly being stuck in development for around 10 years, BioWare finally released Dragon Age: The Veilguard in October 2024. Alex portrayed the main character of the game, Rook.

“I came in for about seven or eight months of recording,” he says. “And then it was released not long after. It was a bit of a whirlwind. It was pretty much non-stop, and I didn’t have much time to think about how the reception would go.

“But when it came close to release, there were definitely nerves that kicked in, because you really hope that it will satisfy the fans and be something that they want.

“I’ve learned to disconnect myself from my hopes and thoughts for a game I’m involved with because you can never tell how it’s going to be received. After all, I played a character in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.”

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is considered to be one of the worst video games in recent years, holding a Metascore of 33 and a Userscore of just 1.5.

“When I found out that I was going to be involved in the Gollum game, I thought it was amazing,” Alex recalled. “I’m a big The Lord of the Rings fan. Unfortunately, that’s become somewhat of a flag in the ground of how not to ship a game. Sometimes, you have no idea what’s going on behind the scenes. After that, I knew what it was like to be involved in a game that’s not well-received.”

From a Flop to a GOTY Contender

We’ve been blessed with so many top-quality video games this year, including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ghost of Yōtei and Dispatch to name a few. Another game most definitely worth mentioning, and one of the surprise hits of 2025, is The Alters, a critically acclaimed survival title developed by 11 Bit Studios. In The Alters, Alex plays 11 versions of Jan Dolski, the main character of the game.

“I can’t say what it is, but recently I got booked for a new video game, and when I got it, my wife said, ‘I think you got that because of The Alters,’ and I think she’s right,” Alex says.

“You’re never quite sure how good a game might be, as alluded to earlier, but I always had a feeling that this was going to be a good game. I was working with the developers so closely for a long time, helping with recording sessions, rewriting, and other elements. I had a good sense of what I might be able to expect.

“To use an analogy, [it’s] like painting a massive mural. You’re painting it every single day, but you’ve only got a small paintbrush. You’re filling in tiny details here and there. It’s hard to get the full picture when you’re close up.”

The Alters, 11 bit studios

He continues: “That’s kind of what it was like working on The Alters. I had a good feeling that we were creating something special. The writing team is so talented, and the director, Tomasz Kisilewicz, is a genius. I love him, and I want to work with him so much more.

The Alters has you questioning your choices about life. What could you have done better? Was it the right thing to do at that moment? It brings all these different emotions and moral conflicts. I knew it would have a deep impact on those who played it.

“Playing various versions of the same character, as an actor, is amazing and one of the biggest challenges of my career so far. Each version of the main character has distinct traits, but they all come from the same branch. It gave me a license to be artistic and try many different regional accents, which probably wouldn’t happen in any other project. Each of those accents encouraged me to play with different personalities through his voice. I could be a southern, slow-talking Doctor, or someone who is from the north but is more streetwise. It was a lot of fun.”

Away From Acting, Alex Recently Adopted Gatsby the Dog

To conclude our conversation, Alex explained to me, reflecting on the last year, what has given him the most pride and joy in life.

“It’s got to be Gatsby. We rescued him from Cyprus; he’s a street dog. We got a DNA test, and he’s a mix of 17 different breeds,” he replied.

“He’s got a bit of Chihuahua, Jack Russell, border collie and miniature poodle. He’s brought so much joy into our lives. I knew I would fall in love with a dog, but I didn’t realise it would happen so fast and to such depth. I’ve always loved dogs, but Gatsby has made me appreciate and love other people’s dogs even more.

“When he first came over to England, he was very anxious, so we took him to a behaviourist, gave him some special food to help with that, and now he’s so much better. All we wanted to do was give him a better life and make him happy, and I feel we’ve done that.”

Comments

No comments yet. Why don’t you start the discussion?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *