Tupac Shakur, who has been dead since 1996, will appear in the next Yakuza game

A new trailer for Yakuza prequel game Stranger Than Heaven premiered at Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest. It ended with a perplexing announcement: Tupac is in it.

That's Tupac, as in Shakur, as in the legendary rapper who has been dead since 1996. His likeness is the last thing we see in the trailer with zero explanation. The character doesn't speak, but his actor is simply credited as Tupac.

Game director Masayoshi Yokoyama took the stage alongside rapper Snoop Dogg, an actual living and breathing person also appearing in Stranger Than Heaven, to talk about the creative...uh...choice.

Snoop's elaboration was not illuminating.

"The Tupac estate and my son and myself, we work very closely together. It just made sense to put him in this game because his likeness and his spirit still lives on, and I feel like it was so connected to what we're doing. What do y'all think?"

Snoop then gestured to the crowed, which responded with medium applause. In a follow-up press release, Sega expanded on how the character will be used and depicted.

"Tupac’s portrayal of the character Amaru in STRANGER THAN HEAVEN is made possible with the permission and ongoing supervision of his estate, Amaru Entertainment. RGG Studio is treating this integration with the utmost respect for his legacy, crafting every aspect in the close collaboration and without the use of AI, including his character design based on archival footage and photographs. More details regarding his role will be shared at a later date."

Sega also announced the release date for Stranger Than Heaven: January 15, 2027.