‘It May Seem Like We’re Only Doing It for Attention’: Stranger Than Heaven Dev Discusses Celebrity Castings, Including Tupac
RGG Studio, the developer behind the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise, is addressing controversy surrounding celebrity castings in its upcoming action game Stranger Than Heaven. The game features the likeness of late rapper Tupac Shakur for a character, with Snoop Dogg—who plays protagonist Orpheus—reportedly instrumental in securing the appearance.
The inclusion has drawn criticism from some players who view it as disrespectful to Shakur, who was murdered nearly three decades ago. In a new interview with Automaton, director Masayoshi Yokoyama responded to these concerns, acknowledging the studio’s awareness of public perception. “To the audience, it may seem like we’re only doing it for attention,” Yokoyama stated, while emphasizing that RGG Studio does not intend for casting choices to “take the spotlight and overshadow everything else.”
Despite this stated intention, the strategy appears to have backfired. The revelation of Tupac’s likeness during the game’s Summer Game Fest release date announcement dominated discourse around the title, with approximately 99% of subsequent conversation focusing on the casting rather than the release date or other gameplay elements. This marks the second time in consecutive games that RGG Studio’s celebrity casting decisions have become the primary talking point, suggesting a pattern of unanticipated media focus that may complicate the studio’s broader marketing objectives.