Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest has come and gone, but there is one moment in particular that had gamers collectively saying huh?
RGG Studios had one of the many announcements of the night, delivering a new look at its highly anticipated game, Stranger Than Heaven, and when Tupac, who plays a new character named Amaru, showed up, boy, was it strange.
While I was sitting in the audience watching the latest Stranger Than Heaven announcement next to the homie, HipHopGamer, he didn’t hide his excitement about the reveal; however, the look on my face told a different story as I was saying to myself in my head, “Yeah, this isn’t going to go over well with the internet.”
After Tupac showed up in the game’s trailer, which also features Snoop Dogg as an original character, the West Coast rapper took the stage with his son to talk about the late rapper’s presence in the game.
A Press Release States RGG Studio Worked Closely With Tupac’s Estate & There Was No AI Use
Knowing this announcement would ruffle feathers, the game’s press release made sure to point out that Tupac’s estate approved the use of his likeness.
“Tupac’s portrayal of the character Amaru in STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is made possible with the permission and ongoing supervision of his estate, Amaru Entertainment. RGG Studio is treating this integration with the utmost respect for his legacy, crafting every aspect in the close collaboration and without the use of AI, including his character design based on archival footage and photographs. More details regarding his role will be shared at a later date,” the press release read.
Well, that didn’t really make anyone feel any better because the person who signed off on Tupac’s likeness being in the game wasn’t anyone in the late rapper’s immediate family, but Tom Whalley, the former head of Warner Bros. Records.
Whalley signed Tupac, who died without a will, to his record deal, and is now embroiled in a lawsuit brought by Tupac’s sister, Sekyiwa Shakur, in 2022, who claims he embezzled millions from her brother’s estate.
Whalley took over the estate after Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, passed away in 2016.
“He has effectively embezzled millions of dollars for his own benefit,” Sekyiwa Shakur said in her complaint. “Whalley has unreasonably enriched himself at the expense of the beneficiaries and in bad faith by taking excessive compensation in a position from which he should properly be barred based on the inherent conflict of interest.”
RGG Studios is likely avoiding online reactions because it’s getting slammed for including Tupac in the game.
“Something about this feels really evil,” one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another post read, “Def no buy from me. Snoop should be ashamed of himself.”
Some replies were also quite hilarious.
We shall see if Tupac and Snoop’s inclusion in Stranger Than Heaven will hurt the game. Until that day arrives, you can see more reactions below.
