Stranger Than Heaven’s Take on Tupac May Not Please Everyone, But Their Honesty is Refreshing
The team at Ryu Ga Gotoku has been clarifying the decision to include Tupac in their upcoming game, Stranger Than Heaven. They’ve explained that it was Snoop Dogg’s suggestion, that they’ve secured the approval and involvement of Tupac’s family and rights holders, and that they did not use generative AI for his voice or likeness. Recently, new insights emerged in an interview where studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed that Tupac’s character won’t be a direct representation of him as he was, but rather an interpretation of who he might be if he were alive today.
Yokoyama stated, “We wanted to not kind of recreate who Tupac was when he passed away. We wanted to try to envision who Tupac might be now.” He emphasized that Tupac’s family was involved throughout the character development process, asking, “If he was still alive now, thirty years later, how would he act? How would he express himself in that way?”
While it’s commendable that RGG aims to honor Tupac’s legacy and his family, speculating on who he would be three decades after his death—even in a fictional context—seems like a misstep in truly paying tribute. The character will essentially be a digital creation, animated by individuals who likely never met him. The developers are attributing thoughts, actions, and emotions to him that he cannot claim as his own.
RGG’s rationale for bringing Tupac back digitally was to create a character that would complement Snoop’s role as Orpheus. They’ve essentially crafted a fictional persona, guessing how he might behave or respond, and then placed Tupac’s likeness on it, declaring, “It’s Tupac!” But it’s not. It can’t be. While we’ll see Snoop Dogg bring his unique flair to Orpheus, the same cannot happen with Tupac. He’s no longer here, which raises the question of why not just create an entirely new character, as that’s essentially what they’ve done.
However, Tupac’s name carries significant weight. Yokoyama acknowledged this, stating that the decision was “something that would add value to our game.” While I find the idea of resurrecting a Black icon troubling—especially considering the cultural implications of “zombification” rooted in Haitian folklore—I appreciate the transparency in his reasoning. It seems Yokoyama is essentially saying, “We want the allure of Tupac to generate the buzz we need for this game to succeed.” Such candidness is rare from developers making controversial choices, but it’s unfortunate that this honesty comes at the cost of Tupac’s legacy.
