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Tupac Shakur to appear in new video game 'Stranger than Heaven'

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Rapper Tupac, who was murdered in 1996, will be featured as a character in the upcoming video game 'Stranger than Heaven'.
  • Snoop Dogg announced Tupac's appearance, noting that the game's creators are using archival footage and photos, not AI, to portray the late rapper.
  • This follows a previous instance where Snoop Dogg and a Tupac hologram performed together at Coachella in 2012, and highlights the controversy surrounding AI-generated voices of deceased artists.

Fifteen years after a memorable Coachella stunt, the late rapper Tupac Shakur is set to make a posthumous appearance in the new video game 'Stranger than Heaven.' The announcement came from fellow rapper Snoop Dogg, who is also featured in the game.

Stranger than heaven, a new video game in the popular crime series 'Like a dragon' (formerly known as the Yakuza series), will be released on January 15, 2027.

— VRT NWSAnnouncement of the game's release date and its connection to the 'Like a Dragon' series.

This is not the first time Snoop Dogg has "brought back" his deceased friend. In 2012, he performed alongside a hologram of Tupac at the Coachella festival, an event still considered one of the most talked-about performances in the festival's history.

'Stranger than Heaven,' part of the popular crime series 'Like a Dragon' (formerly known as 'Yakuza'), is scheduled for release on January 15, 2027. The game's creators revealed Tupac's involvement during the Summer Game Fest, a major event showcasing new video games. Tupac's character, named Amaru, is a nod to his real name, Tupac Amaru Shakur.

RGG Studio treats this integration with the greatest respect for his legacy and develops every aspect in close collaboration, without using AI.

— RGG StudioStatement from the game developers regarding their approach to portraying Tupac and the exclusion of AI.

The game developers emphasized that they are not using artificial intelligence to replicate Tupac's voice, a stance taken after rapper Drake faced significant backlash for using an AI-generated Tupac voice in a 2024 song. Drake eventually removed the track due to criticism and threats of legal action from Tupac's estate.

The band between Snoop Dogg and Tupac goes back to the early 90s: together with Dr. Dre, they formed the core of the music label Death Row Records.

— VRT NWSHistorical context of Snoop Dogg's and Tupac's collaboration and their association with Death Row Records.

Snoop Dogg, who has a long-standing connection with Tupac dating back to the early 1990s as part of Death Row Records, stated that the collaboration with Tupac's estate was approved and that he maintains a good relationship with them. The exact role Tupac will play in the game remains undisclosed, but the creators have assured that his portrayal will be handled with the utmost respect for his legacy.

Snoop Dogg tells on the Summer Game Fest stage that the new 'collaboration with Tupac' came about with the approval of the heirs, with whom he says he has a very good relationship.

— VRT NWSSnoop Dogg's statement about obtaining approval from Tupac's heirs for the game's collaboration.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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