Harrison Ford has historically not liked the idea of anyone else wearing his iconic fedora, cracking his whip, and playing the role of Indiana Jones, but he’s made a special exception for Machine Games’ newest adaptation.
While presenting a trophy at The Game Awards 2024, Bethesda boss Todd Howard and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle star Troy Baker were joined on stage by a surprise guest: Harrison Ford himself, who crashed the show to offer some kind words to the duo.
“While you’re on your feet, let’s give a big round of applause to these two guys for The Great Circle,” Ford said to the crowd while gesturing toward Howard and Baker. “I think this guy [Troy Baker] did a great job. If I’d known he was so good, I would’ve done it myself!”
That’s pretty much the highest praise any Indy actor could hope to receive since Harrison Ford hasn’t been tight-lipped about the fact that he doesn’t want anyone else stepping into the character’s shoes. In 2019, the Hollywood legend told NBC’s Today that “nobody else is going to be Indiana Jones… don’t you get it? I’m Indiana Jones. When I’m gone, he’s gone.” He seems to have made a tiny exception for this gamified version, though.
There was obviously some skepticism around Baker’s casting when the game was announced – even Todd Howard “rolled his eyes” at first – mainly because the actor’s been in countless big budget games over the last decade, taking on everything from The Last of Us to the role of both Batman and the Joker. It’s fair to say that public perception has definitely done a 180-pivot since we’ve all seen him effortlessly quip as the iconic adventurer, however – even our Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review gushed over it.
Later in the show, Ford eventually handed the Best Performance award to Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 frontwoman Melina Juergens, who deservedly became the first actor to ever win the award twice.
Check out our list of the 25 best games of 2024 for more recommendations, as well as our roundup of everything announced at The Game Awards 2024.