A wide range of changes were recently added toCall of Duty: Black Ops 6with the launch of its Season One Reloaded update on December 5, capping off a commendable streak of new maps, modes, events, perks, equipment, weapons, and more being added to the recently released title. As expected, the core multiplayer of the game received a lot of attention throughout the offerings of Season One, but fans of Zombies also had a lot to look forward to.
One of the most exciting elements ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Season One Reloaded content was the introduction of a brand-new map for Zombies, with Citadelle des Morts being a fantastic addition to the mode in the eyes of many fans. While players are still largely focused on uncovering all the secrets and best strategies related to Citadelle des Morts, the new map has heralded one massive change that Treyarch seemingly kept under the radar. Fans were quick to notice that the voice actress for the iconic Samantha Maxis has been recast within Citadelle des Morts, with this most likely being linked to an industry-wide AI dispute that could see many more integral Zombies characters be recast in the near future.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Samantha Recast Could Have Massive Future Implications
While the addictive and endless gameplay ofCall of DutyZombies is a massive appeal, the mode has also thrived so well over the past 16 years thanks to the intricate narratives that are continued from title to title.A massive cast of core Zombies characters has slowly been builtsince the mode debuted in 2008’sWorld at War, with these figures often being deeply tied to the many maps and Easter eggs that Zombies has seen over the years.
One of the most important andlongstanding characters throughout all ofCall of DutyZombies is Samantha, the daughter of Ludvig Maxis, with these two figures being deeply embroiled in the events surrounding some of the most memorable Zombies narratives. Initially appearing inWorld at War, Samantha has gone on to appear in a wide range ofCoDtitles, with her deeply tragic story making her a fan-favorite figure for many Zombies fans.
SinceBlack Ops 1, voice actress Julie Nathanson has portrayed the vast majority of Samantha’s in-game appearances, with the actress originally reprising the role forthe launch maps ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6. With how synonymous Nathanson has become with Samantha, it is no wonder that fans were quick to notice that Samantha had been recast for Citadelle des Morts, with all of her pre-existing voicelines also being re-recorded across Liberty Falls and Terminus.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Growing AI Controversies are Extremely Worrying
It seems very likely that this is directly tied to an industry-wide dispute in whichvoice actors are taking a stand against their voices being used to fuel AI databases, over fears of how this could take future projects away from them. Current reports suggest that this is why Activision has so bluntly parted ways with Nathanson as things stand, with this same treatment being liable to be repeated for other high-profile Zombies voice actors.
Legendary voice actor Nolan North is also a member of the SAG-AFTRA strike against AI, for example, meaningthe iconic voice of Richtofen could face a similar recast in the near future, with this surely causing even more outrage among theCoDZombies community. Even voice actors for classic characters, like Steve Blum for Tank Dempsey, have taken a vocal stance against the growing use of AI in voice acting, meaning that Dempsey’s rumored future return to Zombies could be marked by a deflating and controversial recast of its own.Black Ops 6has come under fire recently for the alleged use of AI in its in-game graphics, and this worrying change of reportedly prioritizing AI over beloved voice actors could be another change that will be extremely difficult to come back from.
