Jay Preston

Jay Preston’s Career at the Crossroads of Gaming and Animation

Growing up in Norton, Massachusetts – a small town about an hour south of Boston – James “Jay” Preston discovered his passion for performance at age seven when his grandfather brought home a camcorder. That early spark eventually led him to Los Angeles, where he built a career that now spans major video game franchises, anime dubbing, and commercial work. Based in Valley Village, California, Preston works with VOX, Inc. and has a history with Bang Zoom! Entertainment on the anime side of his credits.

What makes Preston’s career worth examining is the sheer variety of projects he has contributed to – not as a lead in one defining franchise, but as a working actor whose voice threads through some of gaming’s most celebrated titles from the past decade. His ability to shift across vastly different tonal registers, from the warmth of a sentient tree to the menace of a demonic creature, has kept him in consistent demand at major studios.

Maokai, League of Legends, and Riot Games

Among gamers, the role of Maokai in Riot Games’ League of Legends is the credit Preston highlights most prominently on his official website. The ancient, tormented tree spirit is one of the game’s more emotionally layered characters – a being literally torn apart and reassembled by dark magic, carrying grief as his core motivation. Preston reprised the role in the 2021 RPG spin-off Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, bringing narrative continuity to the character across two different game formats.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Moon Studios

The 2020 platformer Ori and the Will of the Wisps gave Preston a cluster of named characters – Opher, Tuley, Twillen, and Veral – each with distinct personalities that populate the game’s ecosystem. Moon Studios built Ori and the Will of the Wisps around emotional storytelling and atmospheric world-building, and Preston’s characters serve as the merchants and guides who give that world texture. His work across multiple named roles in a single title rather than a background ensemble reflects the trust the studio placed in his range.

Wasteland 3 and the Dorsey Family

InXile Entertainment’s post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 3 handed Preston an unusually broad assignment: the Dorsey Brothers. Playing Erastus Dorsey, Jarett Dorsey, Irv, and Bobby Cotter gave him a chance to portray a connected group of characters across the same narrative – a different kind of challenge than voicing unrelated roles. The Dorsey family is central to Wasteland 3’s mid-game conflict, which meant Preston’s performances needed to carry dramatic weight rather than serve as background texture.

Devil May Cry 5 and the Role of Nidhogg

Behind The Voice Actors lists Nidhogg in Devil May Cry 5 among Preston’s most recognized credits. The role sits within one of gaming’s most stylized action franchises – a world where character performances have to cut through dense visual chaos and still register with players. Preston’s work as Nidhogg added another genre to his profile, demonstrating comfort within the high-energy tone that defines the Devil May Cry series.

Anime Dubbing and Bang Zoom! Entertainment

On the anime side, Preston has contributed to several Bang Zoom! Entertainment productions over the years. His credits include Gray Fly in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, a recurring presence across multiple episodes of Edens Zero, and Luis in Lupin the 3rd Part 6. The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure role in particular landed him in one of the most closely watched dubs in anime fandom, where casting scrutiny runs high.

Stormland, Soulstice, and Beyond

Insomniac Games’ VR title Stormland featured Preston as Riggs, while Reply Game Studios’ action RPG Soulstice added Lord Dugal and Demian to his game credits. The Soulstice roles placed him within a dark fantasy setting that drew comparisons to Devil May Cry and Bayonetta – a different flavor of action game, but one with familiar demands for a voice that carries authority and menace. Preston also appears in Mafia: The Definitive Edition as a period-accurate old-time sports radio announcer, a brief but specific assignment that shows how producers reach for him when a role calls for a particular kind of character texture.

Most Known Roles of Jay Preston

• Maokai – League of Legends (Riot Games)
• Maokai – Ruined King: A League of Legends Story
• Nidhogg – Devil May Cry 5
• Opher, Tuley, Twillen, Veral – Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• Erastus Dorsey, Jarett Dorsey, Irv, Bobby Cotter – Wasteland 3
• Riggs – Stormland (Insomniac Games)
• Lord Dugal, Demian – Soulstice
• Gray Fly – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
• Multiple Characters – Edens Zero
• Luis – Lupin the 3rd Part 6
• Kraven’s Hunters – Spider-Man 2 (2023)
• Additional Voices – Red Dead Redemption II
• Pontiff Jorg – Octopath Traveler II
• Antonio Lawrence – Star Ocean: The Divine Force
• Wihuwte – Final Fantasy XIV: Online – Dawntrail
• Sports Radio Announcer – Mafia: The Definitive Edition