In the last decade, we’ve noticed a trend of featuring well-known celebs in video games as a marketing tool and a stand-out selling point.
Who knew the acting and online gaming would make such a powerful combination? Whether they’re playing themselves or a character, these celebs draw the attention of not only the gaming crowd. They bring new customers into the industry and help developers by making their game more popular and successful.
Here are some stand out performances we’ve seen from celebs in the gaming industry, starting with Kevin Spacey.
Kevin Spacey, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Well known for his role in the Netflix show House of Cards, Kevin has a successful career as an actor, the Oscar-winning star appeared in the best-selling CoD game of 2014.
Kevin plays the character of Jonathan Irons, head of a private military organization. The game follows his legendary story as he becomes more and more powerful and evolves in the futuristic war-riddled world. The game repeats Kevin’s favourite themes, power in high places.
Kiefer Sutherland, Metal Gear Solid V
Kiefer accepted the challenge of playing the hero Snake’s role, taking the place of David Hayter. While fans weren’t too keen on the switch, the actual gameplay thankfully made up for it in the open-world game genre. At least the eyepatch looked badass.
Kit Harington, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Kit is known not only for his role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones but also for his role as Salen Kotch, the deranged villain attempting to take over the solar system and control all the humans that inhabit it.
Play the game and watch as he leads his Settlement Defense Forces into war against SATO, the United Nations Space Alliance’s military faction. The role is a polar-opposite of his role in Game of Thrones as a well-behaved, kind-hearted leader, but luckily, while the parts are poles apart, they are equally as entertaining.
Bruce Lee, EA Sports UFC
Bruce Lee doing UFC- unheard of, right? Bruce Lee was known for his roles in the movies and his skills as a martial artist. Despite UFC not existing when he was around, the game developers decided to create him as one of the characters to mix things up a bit.
I mean, who wouldn’t want to see legendary Bruce Lee going up against Anderson Silva? The producers might be onto something with this one, even if Brue Lee has been dead for 37 years.
Norman Reedus, Sam Porter Bridges, Death Stranding
We all know him as a crossbow wielding zombie-killer from AMC’s The Walking Dead, but this time, he takes on a different role, playing a man called Sam Porter Bridges. He is living in a futuristic world, delivering packages across vast amounts of land while caring for a baby he carries on his person at all times. The babies symbolize the only remaining link he has to the real-world as he tries to fix the shattered world where he lives.
Rami Malek, Josh Washington, Until Dawn
Before Mr Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody and No Time to Die, Malek played Josh Washington’s role in the horror game known as Until Dawn. Washington is one of eight playable characters and has a sad backstory that adds depth to the story.
After his twin sisters go missing, Josh was never the same, and a year later, he finds himself staying in a cabin with some friends on the anniversary of the disappearance. Things quickly turn sour for the group, leaving them wondering whether they’ll survive the night and ever see the light of day again.
Jeff Goldblum, Nero Blackstone, Call Of Duty: Black Ops III
Playing a quirky, overly-confident failed magician, Goldblum shines as Nero Blackstone. Goldblum is one of four main characters available for the Shadows of evil zombies map and does not disappoint his weird yet entertaining way of approaching things in the game.
Some of these actors started their careers in online gaming roles, while others have branched out and found success in playing the part of these well-known characters. No matter the route taken to get into the world of gaming, using these actors turned out to be a successful marketing move for the developed and added to the game in more ways than one.
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