“I Couldn’t Even Tell My Brother”: Pragmata Voice Actor Kept the Secret for a Year — and Finally Exhaled

David Menkin — a British actor known for roles like Malos in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Barnabas in Final Fantasy XVI — can finally talk about Pragmata, which released on April 17.

Menkin landed the role of Hugh, an astronaut on a lunar base, back in 2024. Since then, he had to stay completely silent. Gamers and streamers messaged him after previews — he would reply with a blue heart emoji and nothing more. Even his nephew hinted: “You’re clearly working on something.” Menkin just shrugged it off.

Pragmata tells the story of astronaut Hugh and a child-like android named Diana as they investigate a threat on a lunar base. Menkin and Grace Saif, who voices Diana, never recorded together — a standard practice in the industry. Menkin deliberately took his time so he could always work from her recordings. The relationship between their characters is a key highlight of Capcom’s new project.

Some players have been charmed by their dynamic, while others have even spun theories suggesting Capcom is pushing themes of family and parenthood — pointing out that two recent releases focus on bonds between an adult and a young girl: Hugh and Diana here, and Grace and Emily in Resident Evil Requiem.

A fun detail: Menkin is a space enthusiast. He once played Neil Armstrong in a short film and audio drama and knows many of the moon landing quotes by heart. When the Artemis II mission took place in April — the same month Pragmata launched — he had to resist posting anything about it.

Pragmata released on April 17, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It currently holds an 86 on Metacritic and 88 on OpenCritic — Capcom’s first major new IP in years.

Do you think keeping such secrets is tough — or just part of the job? Share your thoughts in the comments.