Stranger Than Heaven Director Addresses Concerns Over Tupac Character, Insists Family Approved Inclusion

The executive director of Stranger Than Heaven has addressed concerns around the casting of Tupac Shakur. One of the most bizarre reveals from Summer Game Fest last week was that Tupac would have a supporting role in Stranger Than Heaven, despite the fact he has been dead for 30 years. To be clear: Tupac isn't playing himself in the game. Instead, the character that uses Tupac's likeness will be voiced by an actor without the assistance of AI. So really, the character is just a guy who looks like Tupac, making the situation all the more baffling. The decision to feature a dead music star so prominently in the game has raised a lot of eyebrows, especially after it came to light that Tupac's estate is managed by music executive Tom Whalley — a situation that has been the subject of legal disputes between Whalley and Tupac's family. However, IGN spoke with executive director and RGG studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama who addressed these concerns, and claimed that both Tupac's estate and family approved of his role in the game. Yokoyama also noted that Tupac isn't the first instance of the team using the likeness of a deceased actor. "We already have had a character like Tupac, who had pas