Following too many years of silence, Mega Man made a return back in December with the first look at Mega Man: Dual Override, a new 2.5D adventure that follows in the footsteps of 2018’s Mega Man 11. Fans are optimistic following Capcom’s recent streak of (mostly) wins, but bad news has just hit the project.
Voice actor Ben Diskin, who voiced the blue hero in Mega Man 11, has announced via social media (hat tip to Game Informer) he won’t be returning to the role after being told he’d have to do it “without the protections of a union contract.”
“With a broken Blue Bomber heart, I am no longer the voice of Mega Man,” he revealed on 10th March before elaborating on the details he could share. While Capcom promised him his voice would “never be used for AI development,” he was told “with certainty” the project would not go union. “Working without a contract I can realistically enforce isn’t something I can risk,” he added. In the hypothetical event of Capcom using AI on his voice, he’d be at an instant disadvantage: “I don’t have the mental, emotional, or monetary strength to survive a protracted legal fight.”
While he’s willing to believe Capcom’s current stance, he’s “aware that basically every major corporation is looking to incorporate generative AI to save money,” which is why unions are more important than ever before in the games industry. The actor even offered to work for less in exchange for a SAG-AFTRA contract, but Capcom ultimately declined.
“I hope Mega Man: Dual Override is even more successful than 11 and that everyone enjoys all the hard work the devs are putting into it,” Diskin said before wishing he “could have been there” with the Blue Bomber.
Mega Man: Dual Override is set to launch at some point in 2027 on PS4/5, Xbox One & Series X/S, Switch 1/2, and PC.
