Summary
- Black Ops 6 faces AI-related controversies, with fans concerned about assets and voice actors being recast.
- Zeke Alton and Activision have now recently come out to confirm that actors have been recast, with Alton claiming the performance of William Peck is not his.
- Activision also confirmed recasts, with a spokesperson claiming that the company ”
respects the personal choice of these performers”.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been through a number of controversies since its launch, most of them AI related. A loading screen that featured a zombie dressed as Santa reaching towards the screen with a hand comprised of six fingers caused a stir, and then fans turned on the game once again after claiming a number of assets were seemingly AI generated.
Complaints about AI have been a real pain in the neck for Activision with Black Ops 6, despite its alleged frequent usage, and now another situation involving AI has the company in the bad books of fans once again. Earlier this month, reports emerged about potential recastings, as performances by established characters weren’t quite the same as they were in previous games and marketing material.
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William Peck and Samantha Maxis are the two characters that players immediately noticed were different – with the latter returning in Black Ops 6 as an AI called S.A.M. – and fans were worried that voice actors Zeke Alton and Julie Nathanson had been axed. Turns out, fans were right to be worried, as Activision and Alton himself have confirmed that they were recast.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Voice Actors Have Been Recast, Confirms Activision
Speaking with Game Developer, Alton claimed that the performance behind William Peck “is not [mine]”, but that “the lack of crediting [of the replacement actor] implies that it may still be me”. That is essentially a claim that Alton believes the performance of Peck in Black Ops 6 could be AI generated as well, though there is no hard proof of that just yet. Activision could have simply wanted to avoid recasting drama, after all.
Activision itself also made a statement to Game Developer, implying that some actors from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 have been recast, though the company doesn’t mention which ones.
“We respect the personal choice of these performers,” says an Activision spokesperson. “Out of respect for all parties, we won’t add new commentary about the ongoing negotiations with SAG-AFTRA. We look forward to a mutually beneficial outcome as soon as possible.”
It’s worth pointing out that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is not a production struck by the SAG-AFTRA strike, as the game began production before the strike was called. More likely, Zeke Alton and Julie Nathanson simply didn’t sign new contracts with Activision in solidarity with striking voice actors, so the people now behind these recast roles (if they are people) can’t be considered scabs.
We don’t have all the details just yet, or confirmation that the SAG-AFTRA strikes had anything to do with the recasting of these characters, even if it does seem rather likely. It was noticed by fans that Peck’s voice changed rather dramatically between a trailer released in August and the in-game scene in November, but until we get more info, we don’t know the specifics of the situation for sure.
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.
The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.
In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.
Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.