Stranger Than Heaven's Tupac Casting Gets

Developed by RGG studio, Stranger Than Heaven is living up to its name with an unusual premise and casting choices that feel a little like a fever dream. This action-adventure game follows the story of a Japanese-American man with a troubled past, who travels back to Japan to find his place in the world following the loss of both his parents, but the story just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

The protagonist, Makoto Daito, has a talent for music, and players will get to experience his journey of becoming a master showman-performing acts across Japan, scouting other performers, and creating new music. The cast of Stranger Than Heaven features a long list of well-known names, but to the surprise of many, legendary rapper Snoop Dogg will play an important role in the game, and even more surprisingly, Tupac Shakur will be joining him.

Stranger Than Heaven Keeps Getting Stranger as Tupac Shakur Joins Cast

Tupac's cameo was revealed at Summer Game Fest 2026, sparking widespread curiosity not only about what kind of role he'll play in the game, but also about the legalities of using the deceased rapper's likeness.

In a recent interview with Brian Shea from Game Informer, RGG Studio Head Masayoshi Yokoyama took the opportunity to shed light on how Tupac's casting came to be, and how they plan to depict him in the game.

The pitch to include the rapper came from discussions with fellow Stranger Than Heaven star Snoop Dogg, who also suggested other artists. Once they settled on the Tupac, Yokoyama said the next step was to talk to "both his family and his estate" to get the approvals and negotiate the formal side of things.

RGG has reportedly received approval not only from Tupac's family, but also from music executive Tom Whalley, who owns the rights to Tupac's likeness—but Yokoyama says their goal wasn't to recreate Tupac the way he was before he passed, but rather how he would be now if he were still alive.

The distinction Yokoyama makes between Tupac's family and his estate is a critical one, as the original announcement had many Tupac fans concerned that his relatives were not involved in the decision, as Whalley is currently in control of the artist's estate in the midst of a lengthy legal battle.

More of Snoop Dogg's Friends Are Also In The Game

The magnitude of Tupac's role still remains to be seen, but we know that Snoop Dogg plays an important character named Orpheus, so it's possible Tupac will play a supporting role and could potentially have a considerable amount of screen time, mirroring the close-knit relationship the two rappers had in real life.

It appears RGG isn't revealing all of their secrets just yet, though, as Yokoyama also stated, "There's actually a lot of characters who have a relationship to Snoop in the game that we haven't announced."

Stranger Than Heaven Launches on January 15th, 2027 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. RGG and SEGA have yet to comment on whether the game will be available for the Nintendo Switch 2; the lack of a clear 'no' at the time of writing has left Nintendo loyalists hopeful for a late release.