Stranger Than Heaven devs explain Tupac inclusion

Everything I've seen and heard about this decision suggests RGG Studio see Tupac as one of their talent - they're not putting Tupac in their game, they're putting who they imagine Tupac would be 30 years after his murder in it. At that point it's barely an homage to the man. It's someone else.

I think the whole of this Tupac thing could have been avoided if RGG were East Coast rapper fans instead of west coast. Members of the Wu Tang Clan very much fit the vibe of a Yakuza and are mostly still alive and into video games!

It's genuinely impressive having a response as bad as the excuse for why they put Tupac in Stranger Than Heaven.

Cannot believe that the Japanese game franchise with the more respectful references to Tupac is Uma Musume

If their answer is, "Oh, we're totally cool with people who use weed now," I'll be very confused, but okay, cool. If not, how did their partnership on Stranger Than Heaven actually happen?

i can't help but notice that everyone speaking up about Tupac in Stranger than Heaven was curiously silent when Johnny Silverhand was cruelly resurrected into a spiteful ghost of vengeance in Cyberpunk 2077. i see you 👀

I was initially kinda interested in Stranger Than Heaven, but with the way Yakuza Kiwami 3 turned out, and their continued obliviousness with the Tupac thing, I'm gonna pass on it. If it's great, cool. But I'm so weary with RGG right now.

me with a time machine meeting the devs of stranger than heaven

Sugawara is a Japanese movie star KNOWN for his work in yakuza cinema. Whether it's appropriate is neither here nor there. His inclusion has relevance. It can at least be argued as a tribute to his legacy. Tupac is a Black rap artist who was, I repeat, MURDERED as a result of gang violence.

nonsense aside that's sort of a strange sentiment since stranger than heaven's final time period takes place before uh he was born

My Stranger Than Heaven Preview video is now LIVE! Another Crime Dramagame from RGG STudio(the creators of Yakuza) yet this is very much its own thing that plays out in a different way, so lets talk about the gameplay! youtu.be/_BRNIv_iE64

and dont even get me started on who i helped get into stranger than heaven

Summer Game Fest 2026 is in the books! We've got you covered! From Tomb Raider and Stranger Than Heaven to your next favorite Indie like Mr. Records, keep track with our thread of coverage here 🧵

I would like to thank the developers of Stranger Than Heaven for making a combat system so similar to that of The Callisto Protocol that I was able to share one of my all-time favourite anecdotes.

RGG has consistently chosen the worst decision at every turn for nearly a year now - so much so that it feels like I’m primed to instantly give the most disingenuous read to everything about Stranger Than Heaven (because so far it’s all been that way)