Summary
Troy Baker is set to headlineIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, but Bethesda head Todd Howard originally wanted somebody else to play the legendary treasure hunter. Earlier this year, Bethesda Softworks and developer MachineGames finally revealed their tribute to theIndiana Jonesfranchise during January’s Xbox Developer Direct livestream with an action-packed trailer of Indy swinging through ruins and beating down enemies with his trusty whip. Set between the first and thirdIndiana Jonesmovies,Indiana Jones and the Great Circlefollows Indy as he scours the globe for a mystical secret in 1937.
While Harrison Ford will always be the original Indiana Jones, he won’t be reprising his beloved role inIndiana Jones and the Great Circle. Instead, prolific video game actor Troy Baker, known by many for his performances as Joel Miller inThe Last of UsandHiggs Monaghan inDeath Strandingamong many others, will don Indy’s trademark fedora as not only his voice, but also his motion capture performer. Baker has made his love forIndiana Jonesclear from the moment he was confirmed to be in the game, and fans have already praised him for sounding similar to Harrison Ford in what has been shown so far.
However, Troy Baker almost didn’t get the role of Indiana Jones. While speaking toRolling Stone, both Baker and Bethesda head Todd Howard told the story of how the former wascast forIndiana Jones and the Great Circle, and how the latter originally wanted someone else. According to Baker, the two first met over a Zoom call, during which Howard told him upfront that he wasn’t what Bethesda wanted for the game. However, Howard said that his team had performed a blind test for Baker and other prospective voice actors, and the testers had chosen Baker every time.
Troy Baker Almost Didn’t Get to Play Indiana Jones
During the Rolling Stone interview, Troy Baker went on to describe how he committed himself to the role of Indiana Jones once he was cast. The first thing he did after getting the part wasgo out and buy a real Indy-style whipto practice for the game’s motion capture. He felt that to properly give players the feeling of being Indy, they would need to genuinely believe in his performance.
So far, Troy Baker seems to be doing a great job in channeling Indiana Jones, a character that has already left his mark in gaming byinfluencing beloved franchises likeTomb RaiderandUncharted. On December 9, players will get to see the fruits of Baker’s labor whenIndiana Jones and the Great Circlelaunches on Xbox and PC, while PlayStation fans will have to wait until sometime next year to dive into Indy’s latest globe-trotting adventure.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover one of history’s greatest mysteries in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, a first-person, single-player adventure set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade. The year is 1937, sinister forces are scouring the globe for the secret to an ancient power connected to the Great Circle, and only one person can stop them - Indiana Jones™. You’ll become the legendary archaeologist in this cinematic action-adventure game from MachineGames, the award-winning studio behind the recent Wolfenstein series, and executive produced by Hall of Fame game designer Todd Howard.YOU ARE INDIANA JONESLive the adventure as Indy in a thrilling story full of exploration, immersive action, and intriguing puzzles. As the brilliant archaeologist – famed for his keen intellect, cunning resourcefulness, and trademark humor – you will travel the world in a race against enemy forces to discover the secrets to one of the greatest mysteries of all time.A WORLD OF MYSTERY AWAITSTravel from the halls of Marshall College to the heart of the Vatican, the pyramids of Egypt, the sunken temples of Sukhothai, and beyond. When a break-in in the dead of night ends in a confrontation with a mysterious colossal man, you must set out to discover the world-shattering secret behind the theft of a seemingly unimportant artifact. Forging new alliances and facing familiar enemies, you’ll engage with intriguing characters, use guile and wits to solve ancient riddles, and survive intense set-pieces.WHIP-CRACKING ACTIONIndiana’s trademark whip remains at the heart of his gear and can be used to distract, disarm, and attack enemies. But the whip isn’t just a weapon, it’s Indy’s most valuable tool for navigating the environment. Swing over unsuspecting patrols and scale walls as you make your way through a striking world. Combine stealth infiltration, melee combat, and gunplay to combat the enemy threat and unravel the mystery.THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERYVenture through a dynamic mix of linear, narrative-driven gameplay and open-area maps. Indulge your inner explorer and unearth a world of fascinating secrets, deadly traps ,and fiendish puzzles, where anything could potentially hide the next piece of the mystery – or snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?
