Epic Games’ latest Star Wars collaboration was meant to be a milestone in interactive storytelling. On Friday, Fortnite players encountered a new boss version of Darth Vader, brought to life through AI and voiced using technology based on James Earl Jones’ iconic performance. But what was supposed to be an immersive, family-friendly feature quickly went off the rails.
Players quickly discovered that the AI-controlled Vader, designed with Google Gemini 2.0 and ElevenLabs’ voice cloning tech, could be manipulated into delivering wildly inappropriate lines. Within hours of the feature going live, clips began flooding social media showing Vader using profanity, making offhand remarks about different races and languages, and even offering bizarre break-up advice. Streamer Loserfruit’s interaction with AI Vader, in which he responded with “Such vulgarity does not become you,” became the most viral example of the day.
The AI was supposed to let users talk to Vader for fun in-game banter about Star Wars lore or strategy tips. Epic even encouraged questions about the Force or the Galactic Empire. Instead, it received a crash course in how quickly the internet will test any boundary, especially when a beloved Disney-owned villain is involved.
Epic responded quickly, pushing a hotfix within 30 minutes of the profanity incident and promising further safeguards, including new parental controls that allow guardians to limit AI interactions. The company also confirmed that players who abuse the feature will lose access to Vader for the rest of the session.
Still, the backlash has raised larger questions about the readiness of generative AI in major live service games. Vader’s voice lines, generated on the fly and meant to feel dynamic, lack the tight control of scripted dialogue. As a result, unintended interpretations and player manipulation became all but inevitable.
Lucasfilm has yet to comment publicly, despite being a key partner in the AI Vader rollout. James Earl Jones’ family, however, gave their blessing for the voice recreation, saying they hope both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations will continue to enjoy the character’s legacy.
But the incident is a sharp reminder of the tightrope walk companies face when pairing iconic IP with emergent technology. If AI Vader can be baited into dropping slurs, what does that mean for other digital recreations of famous characters? And how much control is too much when trying to simulate “living” legends?
For now, Epic is standing by the feature, continuing to tweak filters and safety protocols. The message that launched this feature — “This will be a day long remembered” — still rings true, but perhaps not in the way they’d hoped.
Sources:
WIRED, Variety
gfpods.com 
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