An extremely fun and chaotic chat with the stars of Warframe 1999

There are few expansions to massively popular online games that are quite as bold as Warframe 1999. After all, it takes the futuristic sci-fi shooter to the Y2K era and features an infested boy band, AOL chat rooms and dating sim elements. Even for those who were completely new to Warframe, it made a lasting impression.

One of the key reasons behind its success is the stacked lineup of voice actors that London, Ont.-based developer Digital Extremes (DE) assembled for the central “Hex” group of protagonists and their supporting cast. At the 10th anniversary Warframe-focused TennoCon event in London last weekend, MobileSyrup sat down with two of the stars of 1999, Amelia Tyler (Hex psycho ops Eleanor) and Kevin Afghani (Hex hacker Amir).

They each bring a unique energy to Warframe; Tyler is best known for her BAFTA-nominated role as the calming narrator in Baldur’s Gate 3, while Afghani is the current voice of everyone’s favourite bubbly plumber, Mario. During our very humorous chat, we talked about what drew them to 1999, what their prior work has in common with Warframe, favourite memories being part of the game and community, and more.

What attracted you to Eleanor and Amir?

Amelia Tyler: I love that Eleanor has this duality to her, because I come from a psych background. I was training to work with serial killers, so that’s something that I naturally vibe with, and I find very interesting.

Kevin Afghani: Interesting…

Tyler: [contemplatively] Yeah…. Don’t analyze me!

Afghani: Hmm…

Tyler: [laughs] So to get to explore this woman who is a badass and has this kind of monstrous side to her, and she is currently battling how much of that to let control her — how much it’s worth risking for the power that gives and how much she likes it — it was really fun to delve into that complexity. And then the more you get to know her, the more you see this softer side of her, the real caring family side, or the relationship she has with Amir is fascinating because it’s very motherly. And I think she hides that more often than not, unless she really trusts somebody. There’s a very caring, soft side to her. And I think a lot of people have been interested in romancing her for the more tongue-related fetish-y side.

Afghani: [laughs]

Tyler: And then they realize that there are many, many onion layers to this person, and they’re really enjoying delving into that. So, yeah, the complexity is the TL;DR for that.

Afghani: Amir’s a big dumb goober!

Kevin Afghani. (Image credit: Kevin Afghani)

Everyone: [laughs]

Tyler: But he’s our big dumb goober!

Afghani: And I’m a big dumb goober, so it just sort of fits! I’m not really playing that much of a character, to be perfectly honest with you.

Everyone: [laughs]

Afghani: When I read the script, I was like, “Oh, yeah, okay, we’ll do this.” There’s a lot of ad-libbing. I love Amir. He’s so fun. And there is complexity there. It comes so fast —

Tyler: [laughs] There’s so many jokes there.

Afghani: Yeah. [laughs] Maybe not all of [the complexity] comes across in the game, but it was all thought about. He is a big, dumb goober, and that is a true thing, but that’s also a little bit of a coping mechanism. He’s sort of in the apocalypse, and that sucks, and he doesn’t really know how to deal with that. He’s not built for it like [Hex leader] Arthur [Ben Starr]. This is a tough thing for him, and so he masks it with comedy. And I think the romance is where you get a lot of the nuance of all the characters. Through that, he starts to talk a little bit more normal. He’s not as “bounce off the walls goofy.” He still is, because that’s who he is, but there is a bit of a tonal shift with him. And I love that. I love him being the trope and then going beyond it. Because it’s a fun trope!

Tyler: Not just the fact it’s a trope — he’s very representative of the neurodivergent community. I align with whatever this is. [laughs] But we do tend to give out that energy and that personality, and we can’t tone it down and think about ourselves too much unless we feel safe.

Afghani: Exactly!

Tyler: And that’s part of the reason so many people love the romance with Amir, because you get to see someone else exploring that and learn from it. It’s really cool.

Amir. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Afghani: Very, very fun character.

Tyler: And you did it so delicately and so beautifully without losing that comedy that is him. It didn’t come across like, “This is my mask and this is the real me.” No, these are both him.

Afghani: [meek voice] You were very scary.

Everyone: [laughs]

You mentioned the tonal shift of these characters, which I think is interesting because it speaks to Warframe 1999 as a whole — the idea of the sort of paranoia and the techno-thriller elements of Y2K, but then also there’s dating sim elements. There’s that mix of dark and funny. So, coming at it as actors, what was it like to sort of straddle that line?

Tyler: That’s life, right? Just because there’s an apocalypse, it doesn’t stop you being sad or horny or lonely or bored.

Afghani: All of them at the same time!

Tyler: [laughs] Oh, God, what a nightmare. Really fast!

Afghani: A lot of emotions really quickly.

Tyler: It’s stuff like that that brings a character to life, because otherwise you’ve just got one tone of, [serious voice] “The apocalypse, let’s do this!”

Eleanor. (Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Afghani: The colourful cast really allows that to breathe. Everybody is reacting to it differently. I just beat The Hex [main story quest] on Monday [three days before our interview]. I really cut it close, but you have to play a lot before you get to it! [laughs] So watching all of the cast do their own thing, it is incredible how quickly they introduce you to these characters, and how quickly these [actors] are just like, “Oh, I know what this character is about,” and I love them. And then, through the romances, you get more and more and more and more of that. But yeah, I love silliness. I really do. And I love for media to take itself seriously as well. And what I love even more than either of those things is when both of those things coincide in a way that feels really natural, and one doesn’t undercut the other. You have the serious, heart-wrenching moments, but you also have the really silly, stupid moments, and I love that.

I think what’s really interesting is you both come from other major franchises, Baldur’s Gate and Mario, which have their own massive fanbases. What was it like joining the Warframe community, and what are some of the sorts of parallels or differences that you might have observed between it and your previous work?

Tyler: There was a lot of lore to wrap my head around to make things make sense. And the team did a great job of giving me just the bits I needed so that my brain didn’t just go [popping sound]. Because there are so many years of backstory and things to understand. But that’s easier drip-fed, rather than, “Here is your first recording session, we will now give you our three-hour TED Talk.

Afghani: Yeah, our 13-year history of all the stuff we threw at the wall and decided to stick with.

Tyler: There’s a lot of lore, and there’s a lot of love for it as well. It’s been amazing getting to be part of something that means this much to so many people. And to get to be the first “characters” that they get to meet and interact with.

(Image credit: Digital Extremes)

Afghani: It’s crazy. The difference for me, like I said, is that Amir is very “me.” Obviously, I put so much of myself in other characters that I play, but I very rarely use my own voice for work. So that was a fun thing. That was like a nice little treat. And it’s not even just the Mario stuff; a lot of stuff that I’ve done doesn’t want me to use my voice. Not that they don’t want my voice, but I’m a very “character actor,” so just being able to play myself for a little bit was pretty fun. That was a nice little treat.

Tyler: Eleanor is pretty similar to me as well. It was mind-blowing during that first recording session. Just going, “First off, this is natural. That’s the final form of my hair. That’s what I’m gonna look like when I’m an old lady.”

Everyone: [laughs]

Tyler: I’m just gonna have a really high ponytail. But my psychology background, her having that telepathy and that side of things — my background in all aspects — I felt like that was creepy enough. And then [writer] Adrian Bott started writing for my voice. Then it was like, “Oh, this is just me.” It didn’t feel like acting at that point. The emotions, the situation was acting, but it felt effortless — working with people directing you as a person.

Afghani: And it helps that the writing is so good. Once they honed in on what they wanted, it was so easy. And they had trouble casting Amir. And when I got it, I was like, “Oh, it’s because they were looking for me!” [laughs] They wrote me and they didn’t realize. And I’m a weird guy!

Tyler: I think that’s happening so much more in the industry now.

Afghani: Yeah, I can appreciate that!

Tyler: You cast authentically, and you get that “lightning in a bottle” thing that they write the essence of something they want, and then wait for the right person to show up and bring what they are to it, rather than just going for what you want me to be. “I’ll pretend to be anything!”

Afghani: “We’re just going to make a caricature and that’ll be it.”

Tyler: Yeah. Because then you get the complexity that comes with it. You’ve got to bring your life experience with it of being a person like that to that script.

Afghani: That was a better answer than my answer.

They were both really good!

Afghani: [laughs] You’re better at this than I am!

Tyler: [in a quick, almost Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars sort of voice] No! Yeah, but I can’t remember what I just said.

Afghani: [laughs] I’ve never heard you make that sound! [blargh sound]

Tyler: [laughs]

[To Afghani] Something that is really fun about Mario is he’s encountered so many different characters and had all those crossovers. If Mario were to hang out with Amir, what do you think that encounter would look like?

Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Afghani’s first time playing Mario. (Image credit: Nintendo)

Afghani: A super fun time! They’re both the embodiments of fun. Mario is the embodiment of fun and having a good time, and Amir would be stoked on that. Amir’s a nerd — he’s be stoked!

Tyler: How good would he be at plumbing, though?

Afghani: Amir? Terrible. Terrible!

Tyler: Can you go imagine? “Hi, yeah, the entire apartment block is flooded. Do you guys know what’s happened?” And he’s just like [screwing sounds]…

Afghani: “So I’ve taken every screw out of the entire piping system, and I do not know which ones go where anymore.”

Tyler: [laughs]

Afghani: “Is this a problem, do you think? I don’t think so. I think it’ll be fine!”

Tyler: [laughs] I need that spin-off — “Amir’s Work Experience Meltdown.”

Afghani: [laughs] Though they already referenced Mario in the little AIM [chats] —

Tyler: Yeah, I loved how cheeky they did that.

Afghani: It’s so cheeky.

On the other side of that, the narrator of Baldur’s Gate 3 has so many different voices depending on the kinds of characters that people play as. What do you think she might say about Eleanor?

The Dark Urge in Baldur’s Gate 3. (Image credit: Larian Studios)

Tyler: Oh, God! It depends! I think the Dark Urge narrator would just lean in and be like [puts on softer narrator voice] “Would you stop being so good and let’s kill them all, please?”

Aghani: It would 100 percent be the Dark Urge narrator!

Tyler: Yeah, it would be a bloodthirsty run. Everyone would be having jam naps. [laughs]

1999 has been out for a little while now, so you’ve gotten to see the feedback and everything. You’ve also been a part of the community since last year when it was revealed, and you’re about to go to TennoCon in person soon. What’s it been like to see that reception, and what are you most excited about getting to actually meet the fans in person?

Tyler: I’ve met a few [Warframe] fans at other conventions, but it’s been sporadic, because I think they’re waiting for this. Because this is their special thing. I cannot wait because the public reaction to her, to all of us, has been so warm and welcoming and thorough. Like, they know their shit. [laughs] I’m dreading the moment somebody asks me a technical question. I’m like, “Dude, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.” No! [exasperated sound]

Tyler: Half the things in my script weren’t written — I don’t know!

Everyone: [laughs]

Tyler: We’re just noises! Yeah, I’m just really looking forward to meeting everybody, because our job is quite isolating sometimes. We go into a little booth and play pretend.

Afghani: In a tiny little box!

Tyler: Getting to see you lot has been an amazing experience. The cast bonding and getting to know each other a bit more has been amazing. Getting to know the DE team better feels quite special—we don’t often get to do that kind of thing in our jobs. I’m really looking forward to the concert.

Afghani: Oh, I love On-Lyne [the 1999 boy band] more than I should!

Tyler: I listen to that on loop.

Afghani: All the time!

Tyler: It’s so good.

Afghani: It’s so good!

Tyler: Oh, that track.

Afghani: Both of them!

Tyler: It’s so authentically ’90s as well. That would have been a hit. And the music they’ve done with the group.

Afghani: The grunge stuff.

Musician Matt Chalmers leads the TennoConcert, with Rebecca Ford on bass to his right.

Tyler: Can [creative director] Rebb [Ford] stop being so cool? It’s making us all look bad!

Afghani: I tell this story all the time. When I met Rebb, she introduced herself, and she was like, “Oh yeah, by the way, I’m like, I’m the game director.” And then she goes, “Oh excuse me,” and then she picked up a bass guitar and just started slapping the bass in front of everybody. I was like, “What? What’s happening right now?” How are you the coolest person I’ve ever met? That is a power play if I’ve ever seen one.

Tyler: That’s a bold move.

What’s been your favourite part about this whole experience of being part of the community, whether that’s a fan engagement or even just a particular moment from recording or from the actual game itself?

Tyler: I did the voices for all the infested apes in the zoo level. That was me as well. So I got to do something really weird. I’m not like [Kevin]. I’m not one of those people who can do a lot of different voices. I have a few, but that’s it. So to get to come in and do something that was so unlike me, and something so technically creative and so weird, and get to play with that was really, really fun.

Afghani: It’s really fun!

Tyler: It’s so much fun. I love doing stuff like that. Battle sounds, effort sounds — fine. But this was basically “Planet of the Apes meets death metal,” and we smushed it together and made something weird and otherworldly.

How did it come about that you voice Eleanor and then you’re going to voice apes?

Tyler: Well, I got into the recording session for Eleanor, and we got to the end of her lines. And then Adrian was like, “We’ve got these characters as well, and we were thinking, it might be cool if you could voice them. But let’s see if can you do that kind of thing.” I was like, “I’ve never done that in my life — let’s find out!” [makes ape sounds] “Yeah, I think I can do it!”

Everyone: [laughs]

Tyler: It was like a part of my brain was like, “Yes, we can play!” I had no idea I could do it.

I don’t know how I’d feel if someone went, “Maybe you’d be a good ape.” Is that a compliment? Is that an insult?

Everyone: [laughs]

Tyler: I think the idea was just it would be cool if it was you — can it be you? And then we played around with it, and it turns out, “Yes, I can do that.” I surprised myself.

Congrats! That’s awesome. How about you, Kevin?

Afghani: God, recording was just so fun because it was just making jokes. That was the whole thing — making jokes and making people laugh and seeing what was funny and seeing what was charming in a quirky, stupid way. And there really were no wrong answers. I think one of the first things I said when I got on call was, “You guys can’t see it right now, but I’m doing finger guns!”

Tyler: [laughs]

Afghani: And even things that they didn’t take were just directly plopped into the AIM messages. It was just hours of saying stupid stuff and laughing about it. [laughs] It was really fun.

Do you have a particular line that stands out as a favourite?

Afghani: Ah, there are so many…

[jokingly serious voice] Choose!

Afghani: Choose right now!

No pressure.

Afghani: A really fun one that I actually have not heard in-game — I don’t know if it’s even in the game. We recorded a full minute-long [scene] of Amir being bored.

Tyler: [laughs]

Afghani: It just keeps going. There’s silence, and he goes, “Booooored…. Boredom! God, I’m bored!” And it just keeps going. It lasts a full 60 seconds of him just rambling.

Tyler: [laughs] Oh my God, that’s amazing. I have one for Eleanor. She’s like, “Oh God, I just burped and tasted pigeon. That was months ago!”

Everyone: [laughs]

Tyler: It’s just such a painfully accurate snapshot into what it must be like to have a tongue that occasionally does things you don’t want it to do. I love that.

Afghani: Do you have a cool one, though, that you like?

Tyler: I like a lot of them. I like the ones that show her vulnerability, like she talks about going off mentally into the city, and finding a kid who’s having a nightmare, and making the bad dreams go away. That’s a really nice one.

Afghani: She has a lot of cool ones, so that’s difficult.

Tyler: She has a lot of cool ones! But I like the ones where she’s showing parts of herself you don’t get to see. And then the KIM [chat message] lines are so good as well. Learning about the backstory with her relationship with Arthur and their childhood was just heartbreaking. Yeah, there are too many good lines for her.

This interview has been edited for length, language and clarity. 

Warframe and its 1999 expansion are free-to-play on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and iOS. An Android beta is coming this fall.

For more on TennoCon, check out our big feature on the show’s 10th anniversary featuring insight from DE and additional quotes from Tyler and Afghani. We also took a deep dive with DE into Soulframe, the Canadian developer’s upcoming fantasy MMORPG.

Image credit: Digital Extremes