Jody Serrano
Editor in chiefEditor in Chief at Xataka On. Before joining Webedia, I was a tech reporter at Gizmodo and The Messenger. While I've covered all sorts of things related to technology, I'm specialized in writing about social media, Internet culture, Twitch, and streamers.
Lore says it’s never been wise to partner with Darth Vader, and it’s proving right yet again. The infamous Star Wars character has been in Fortnite a week and is already causing trouble.
First came the problematic answers, with players tricking the Sith Lord into saying all kinds of things, from profanity to slurs. (It’s fixed, now). Then came the union, and it doesn’t look like that will have such an easy solution.
AI Darth Vader. Everything began last week when Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, announced that it had added Darth Vader as an in-game boss. While that in itself is cool, Vader wasn’t just any boss. Using conversational AI, players would be able to chat with the renowned villain about basically anything
“Ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire... or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle. The Sith Lord has opinions,” Fortnite said in a news article.
To add to the experience, the voice of Darth Vader in the game would be none other than James Earl Jones, the actor who played the character in the films. Jones died last year at 93 years old.
The sign-off. To be frank, using AI to clone the voice of a dead man is a little creepy, especially when you consider in factors like consent. However, Fortnite made an effort to do this in a respectful way, working with Jones’ family on the project.
“James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” Jones’ family said in a statement. “We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.”
The company also worked with Disney and Lucasfilm, which own the rights to the franchise, on its game integration.
The problem. Up to this point, everything appears to be in order. Ask the family? Check. Ask Disney? Check. But there was apparently something that Fortnite missed. It never talked to SAG-AFTRA, the actors union that is currently striking against the video game industry. (Notably, actors are still allowed to work on Fortnite and other projects under special exemptions).
This week, SAG-AFTRA filed a complaint against Llama Productions, a subsidiary of Epic Games, claiming that the company had engaged in unfair labor practices. The union says Llama Productions didn’t inform it that it was planning on using AI to create Jones’ voice and bargaining over terms.
“We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles,” the union said in a statement. “However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader's iconic rhythm and tone in video games.”
Image | Fortnite
Related | The Star Wars Hotel Disaster: $4,800 per Night to Stay in $350 Million Interactive Movie