Fortnite’s latest Star Wars update brought an AI-powered Darth Vader and a legal complaint from actors’ union SAG-AFTRA.
On May 16, 2025, Fortnite introduced a new Darth Vader as part of Chapter 6: Galactic Battle. This version wasn’t just a boss fight – he actually talked back. Players could use voice chat to interact with him in real time. The voice, modeled after prolific actor James Earl Jones, came from AI tools developed by Google and ElevenLabs.
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Epic Games secured permission from Jones’s estate, who supported the project. They stated the goal was to preserve Vader’s voice for future generations. Epic emphasized that player data wasn’t stored or used to train the AI.
But within hours of launch, some players pushed the AI to spout harmful or offensive speech. Viral clips quickly spread across social media. Epic deployed a fix within 30 minutes and locked the feature behind parental controls. Still, the incident raised concerns about using generative AI for iconic characters, especially in games with younger audiences.
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Darth Vader’s voice sparks union lawsuit over AI use in Fortnite
Now, SAG-AFTRA has filed a formal labor complaint against the game. The union alleges that Epic and Llama Productions, a signatory company for Fortnite, replaced union-covered voice work without proper notice or negotiation.
Epic Games
Their claim centers on labor practices, not permissions. While they support the rights of estates like Jones’s, SAG-AFTRA argues that using AI to replace human performers without union involvement violates labor rules.
The union sees this as part of a larger trend in the entertainment industry. AI is increasingly used to replicate performances, often without clear agreements in place.
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The concern isn’t just about one game, it’s about protecting working conditions for voice actors across the industry.
The outcome of this case could set new standards for how AI is introduced into games. If the NLRB finds in SAG-AFTRA’s favor, companies may be required to negotiate AI usage more transparently moving forward.
Meanwhile, Fortnite is still navigating legal fallout from another front. Despite winning its case against Apple, the game remains unavailable on the iOS App Store. The courtroom victory hasn’t yet restored access for mobile players, which is just another unresolved chapter in Fortnite’s evolving future.
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