Summary
- SAG-AFTRA filed a complaint against Epic Games over AI recreating James Earl Jones’ Darth Vader voice in Fortnite
- The union alleges replacement of human performers without notice or bargaining
- Epic used AI for in-game Darth Vader interactions
Epic Games‘ Fortnite is facing a complaint from SAG-AFTRA over its use of AI to recreate the late James Earl Jones‘ Darth Vader voice.
As per Variety, the recreated voice was done for the game’s recent Star Wars-themed Battle Royale mini-season. The actors union further stated that Epic’s Llama Productions “chose to replace the work of human performers with AI technology,” and “did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms.” SAG-AFTRA has since filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
SAG-AFTRA shared in a statement, “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 continued, “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.”
The newest Battle Royale mini-season allows players to speak with Darth Vader via conversational AI. Disney shared that Epic “securely processes the voice audio to generate Vader’s responses, but audio and transcriptions of the conversation are not stored.”
Prior to Jones’ death in 2024, he had signed an agreement allowing the use of his archival Star Wars voice recordings for future Lucasfilm titles. Disney, Lucasfilm and Epic Games were also given permission to use his voice for Fortnite. “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,” the 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.”
Epic Games did not immediately respond for comment.
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