Last night, RGG and SEGA took to the stage at Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles to unveil more of Stranger Than Heaven, an all-new action-adventure title with gritty, combat-laced subtones. As the trailer played out, viewers learned more about the Like a Dragon prequel, but things took a surprising turn when a familiar-looking face emerged from a doorway.
Tupac Shakur, the iconic artist and actor tragically gunned down in 1996 at just 25 years of age, will appear in RGG’s Stranger Than Heaven, alongside Snoop Dogg, who was revealed several weeks ago. His character is named Amaru, and while the capacity of his presence hasn’t been confirmed, SEGA has confirmed that AI wasn’t used to bring him to life.
Tupac Generates Immense Hype at Summer Game Fest
When RGG unveiled Tupac’s presence in Stranger Than Heaven, the roof was blown off the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Nobody saw the move coming, and the crowd became even more electric when none other than Snoop Dogg marched onto the stage to talk about Tupac’s imminent arrival in the action title.
Here’s the full segment:
Speaking about Tupac, Snoop said:
The Tupac estate, my son, and myself, we work very closely together, so it just makes sense to put him in this game, because his likeness and his spirit still lives on. I just feel like it was so connected to what we’re doing.
Snoop also took a moment to talk about Death Row Games, teasing a little more about the studio that was kind of unveiled a good couple of years ago, but has been mostly silent since.
We’re building a hip-hop gaming universe, bringing an authentic culture to life. We’ve just got a lot of plans that we plan on bringing to life in a couple of months.
SEGA deliberately assured fans that Tupac Shakur has not been brought back to life in RGG’s Stranger Than Heaven via generative AI, promising the ‘utmost respect for his legacy’ while making him a hugely impactful part of the game’s hype train.
Being in the crowd at Summer Game Fest, I can attest to the pop that rang out to the rafters when an older, reimagined Tupac was brought faithfully back into the fold in an all-new and wholesome way. It’s not yet clear if Tupac’s character, Amaru, will be voiced, but more will be revealed soon.
Stranger Than Heaven will be released on January 15, 2027. Are you picking up a copy? Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that ARC Raiders’ player count continues to slide
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Comments