Darkest Dungeon developer Red Hook Studios has said it won’t use AI to replicate the voice of deceased voice actor Wayne June.
Studio co-founder Chris Bourassa spoke about how the passing of the iconic narrator will affect the series going forward in a reply to a post on the Darkest Dungeon subreddit (via Kotaku). He told fans to rest assured that Red Hook will “never, ever erode” June’s legacy by using AI to attempt to copy his performance.
“In one of his last emails to me, Wayne gave us permission to train an AI on his voice, something he’d staunchly opposed prior to the end,” Bourassa said. “We’d never asked to do it. I think he was trying to put the game/team/fans first – offer us a ‘way forward.’ I declined, and we donated to his family anyway.”
Red Hook confirmed that June had passed away in January 2025. Bourassa shared a message at the time, saying that it was “one of my life’s greatest honors to have written for him” for the 10 years the actor contributed his voice to Darkest Dungeon. He added, “Though I never got to shake his hand, I knew him to be a friend.”
June’s work on Darkest Dungeon helped bring its dim-lit world to life with the launch of the original in 2016 and again with the sequel in 2023. Bourassa is all too aware of the important role the narration played in the franchise, which is exactly why you won’t hear a hollow imitation made by artificial intelligence in any future installments.
“I would never, ever erode his incredible and timeless performances by teaching a machine to sound like him,” Bourassa added in the Reddit reply. “His voice and delivery was *human, and I’m forever grateful I got to write for him.”
Fears of AI replacing both the living and the dead have only heightened in recent years. Master Chief actor Steve Downes spoke out against AI versions of his voice in January of this year. In 2024, Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. threatened to sue any executive who recreated his likeness using artificial intelligence, whether he is alive to see it happen or not.
As Deep as the Grave came under fire from movie fans just this year after the team behind it announced that it would feature an AI recreation of actor Val Kilmer, who died last year. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, meanwhile, announced rule updates earlier this month that will bar AI performances from being nominated for Oscars in 2027.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
