By Chloe Barrett
In recent years, games have truly transcended to another level. In terms of actors participating in the gaming world, lending their voices is not the only job they do now. New engines have been utilised to their fullest abilities and motion capture is now a commonly used feature. By tracking actors’ faces with sensors, recording their specific movements and editing them into games, the result is an almost scarily degree of realism. But just how many actors can you remember that featured in some fan favourite games?
Until Dawn was developed by Supermassive Games and released back in 2015. It is an interactive, thrilling choice-based game with eight playable characters trying to survive on a mountain. When you think of motion capture in games, this is possibly the title at the forefront of your mind. It contained quite a few well-known faces, such as Rami Malek, who played the older brother, Josh. Jordan Fisher stars as the friendly and likeable Matt, who also features alongside Hayden Panettiere, often deemed a fan favourite for her performance as Sam. The entire cast is a memorable one and the game itself received a lot of high praise. Buckle up though, as it is an experience you will not soon forget.
Keanu Reeves made quite an impression on the internet, resulting in him becoming a meme back in 2019. By complementing the audience before him at an Xbox conference, saying the unforgettable words “You’re Breathtaking” the entire internet went wild. People scrambled to google the game he was featured in, and it was none other than Cyberpunk 2077, developed by CD Projekt Red. Reeves lent his acting abilities to the character of Johnny Silverhand, a military veteran who fought against the corrupt government featured throughout the game. The game itself boasts an open-world adventure for the player to explore, complete with role-playing based gameplay. It was a high demand game that gained a lot of traction and was finally released towards the end of 2020.
Developed by Kojima Productions, Death Stranding features none other than Norman Reedus who acts as Sam, a delivery man who proudly journeys across the United Cities on a mission to save mankind from certain extinction. The long time The Walking Dead star suited up in a complete motion capture suit to film the game and acted out his stunts in a studio for the highly anticipated 2019 release. Other famous actors were also featured in the game, such as Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, Margaret Qualley and even Conan O’Brien had a brief cameo.
The popular series Call Of Duty came out with an instalment titled Infinite Warfare which was developed by Infinity Ward. It is a beloved series that had a few surprising faces pop up, delighting fans who played the game. The first-person shooter lets the player experience the space setting through Captain Nick Reyes eyes, who is played by Brian Bloom. But an antagonist is who caught players by surprise. Kit Harington, who was a main character in the award-winning series Game of Thrones, decided to switch things up while filming the popular show to feature in this 2016 hit. There was no shortage of recognisable talent, however, with David Harewood popping up, Claudia Christian making an appearance, and Conor McGregor featuring alongside David Hasselhoff, whose familiar voice appeared as an announcer within the game.
The final popular title that features a few stars is none other than Detroit: Become Human. The game which was nominated for numerous awards was developed by Quantic Dream back in 2018. It is an interactive adventure game that follows three androids who find themselves in peculiar situations while navigating a high-tech setting. On its release, the game was met with exceptionally high praise on multiple factors, such as gameplay, story, and the cast. Valorie Curry is Kara, a servant android who manages to escape her violent owner alongside his young daughter who she is determined to protect. Jesse Williams features as Markus, an android whose objective features around the rights that androids deserve in the futuristic world. Bryan Dechart is the first actor the player meets when beginning the game, and he stars as Connor, the android sent by Cyberlife with a focus on hunting down androids who have become sentient. However, the most surprising actor who played an important role in the game was none other than Clancy Brown. Many know him from voicing the famous Mr Krabs in SpongeBob SquarePants, alongside countless other famous roles. Detective Hank Anderson is a character begrudgingly prominent in Connor’s story, who is not fond of androids.
There are many other games out there that feature familiar voices and faces, even older ones you would not realise until researching and making the discovery. Some people exclusively act in games and are highly praised for their convincing portrayals which bring the game to life. Without voice actors, many favourite games would be very different to what they are today, so thank you immensely, voice actors!