How MachineGames Brought Its Indiana Jones to Life for The Great Circle

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 3, 2024 25 Views 11 Min Read
How MachineGames Brought Its Indiana Jones to Life for The Great Circle



Indiana Jones is more than just a character; he’s a cultural icon whose very presence evokes adventure, mystery, and daring escapades in forgotten corners of the world. Capturing that essence in a video game is no small feat, but MachineGames, the developer of the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, has risen to the challenge with meticulous dedication to craft an authentic Indiana Jones experience.




From the smallest smirk to the iconic crack of a whip, MachineGames has spared no effort in bringing Indiana Jones to life in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It has drawn on rare archival materials, cutting-edge technology, and the talents of an actor uniquely suited to channel the spirit of a young Harrison Ford. But this isn’t just about appearances — it’s about capturing the heart and humanity of a hero who has stumbled, quipped, and triumphed his way into the hearts of so many over the last four decades. In a recent interview with Game Rant, MachineGames hinted at the extraordinary lengths it went to in recreating the beloved archaeologist, with creative director Axel Torvenius disclosing some explicit details about the developer’s process.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle key art with logo

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Indy Needed to Look and Sound Like Indy in The Great Circle


When tackling the monumental task of bringing Indiana Jones to life in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, MachineGames faced a critical question early on: how do you recreate a character so deeply etched into the memories of fans who have been with him for over four decades? The answer, it turns out, was simple — stay true to the source. From the beginning, the team’s mission was clear: Indiana Jones needed to look and feel like the iconic adventurer audiences fell in love with decades ago. When asked about the process of recreating Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and whether recreating Harrison Ford’s face was always the plan, Torvenius replied,

Yes, the plan was always to go with as close and accurate likeness as we possibly could! We were never interested in doing a “new” look for Indiana. Thanks to the close collaboration with LucasFilm Games, we had access to their archive where we could see great turn around images from the old movie sets and those photographs paired up with many, many more photos of Harrison Ford from that time, helped and informed the character artist building out the 3D mesh, the sculpt of the head.


Firstly, this confirms what almost anyone thinks when they think of Indiana Jones’ appearance, and that is the character and Harrison Ford are inseparable. Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones is Harrison Ford. However, when it comes to translating this into a video game, it might be difficult to do without Harrison Ford himself. If the character looks or sounds too different from Harrison Ford, it could ultimately be one of the biggest immersion breakers in the game. This is where Troy Baker comes in, who is one of the most prolific talents in the video game industry.


In the interview, Torvenius confirmed that every detail of Baker’s face was recorded in order to capture Ford’s likeness and not just his memorable voice. In the trailers for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Baker’s Harrison Ford voice stands out and is immediately noticeable, which tracks right along with his history as one of the more prominent voices in the industry. The very likeness of Harrison Ford, however, is an entirely different story, which was captured using a head-mounted camera attached to Baker. The camera then captured Baker’s expressions via small dots on his face, which were then applied to the in-game mesh of Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones. On that topic, Torvenius continued,

Troy Baker is not only doing the great likeness with his voice, but he is also moving his eyes, his head, and all other types of facial expression to make it look and sound like a Harrison Ford. And also important to remember, while Troy Baker is doing all of that with just his voice and head, he is also, at the same time, in a tight motion capture suit with markers on it, acting out full scenes and most of the time interacting with a counter actor or actress.


This wasn’t the first time Baker has done motion capture for a video game, as he provided both the voice and motion capture for Joel in The Last of Us, as well as facial capture to animate Delsin in Infamous: Second Son. However, it is the first time Baker has had to perfectly mimic a real person, and not just any person at that — Harrison Ford, who has been one of the biggest names in Hollywood for many decades now. In light of that, it can’t have been easy work for the actor, despite his own years of experience. Based on what has been revealed so far for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle though, Baker seems to have pulled it off.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Hat Easter Egg

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Indy Needed to Be Indy in The Great Circle

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Despite essentially being Harrison Ford, the character of Indiana Jones goes much deeper than his voice and facial expressions. This is something else Baker needed to be aware of as he played the part, allowing those key characteristics of Indy’s personality to surface in his voice, his eyes, and his smile. It wasn’t all up to Baker, however, as MachineGames also needed to ensure these things were written into the game to capture not just the image of Indiana Jones, but the very essence of the iconic character. When asked about how MachineGames approached Indy’s personality in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Torvenius replied,

We ensured that by looking at and dissecting how he is portrayed in the 80s movies, and then trying to sort out and categorize his characteristics – what is it that makes Indiana Jones Indiana? Quite quickly, you find a couple of key traits that stand out as important. He is charming, resourceful, a bit clumsy, and he is very human. We usually refer to him as a superhero but with no superpowers. He also can become quite passionate, almost obsessed and then, of course, there is humor in there. A very important part of his character is also the hat and the whip.


MachineGames has clearly done its due diligence to ensure it not only knew who Indiana Jones was as the studio developed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but also that players won’t for a second believe they are playing anything other than an Indiana Jones game. Even down to explaining the hat and the whip as part of Indy’s character is enough to show how far the developer went with it. It’s certainly all a recipe for crafting the definitive Indiana Jones gaming adventure, and it shows MachineGames’ commitment to preserving what makes Indiana Jones Indiana Jones in The Great Circle.

As Indiana Jones and the Great Circle inches closer to its release, the passion and dedication of MachineGames are undeniably clear. Its painstaking efforts to recreate Indiana Jones with an unparalleled level of authenticity — down to the smallest smirk or the way the whip moves — underscores its reverence for the character and the legacy of the films. By combining cutting-edge technology, meticulous research, and a deep understanding of what makes Indy a timeless hero, the developer has set the stage for an adventure that should feel like a natural extension of the movies. For fans, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle may be more than a game; it very well might be an opportunity to step into the boots of a legend.


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