UPDATE (16/05/25, 5:20 PM BST): Kotaku’s Ethan Gach reports that Epic Games has already pushed an update to try and stop people being able to make AI Vader say the F word. “We pushed a hot fix within 30 minutes of this happening in-game, so this shouldn’t happen again,” the publisher said.
I’m so tired. Here we go. It’s 2025, so Fortnite now includes a Darth Vader chatbot you can have stilted AI-powered conversations with after recruiting him into your squad. Naturally, a streamer has already managed to get it to say a bad word and talk about boobs.
I shouldn’t be surprised. This game already has Tesla’s shitty Cybertruck in it. At least people in the US who only game on their Iphones are being spared for now.
“Strategize with the ultimate Sith Lord. With your voice. And he’ll respond back using conversational AI,” reads Epic’s announcement that this – which uses Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash model and ElevenLabs’ Flash v2.5 model to deliver AI-generated chatter using James Earl Jones’ actual voice – is a thing.
Perhaps the one silver lining, though it’s not really a silver lining because it helps normalise this kind of thing, is that the late actor’s estate has given its permission to let Epic do this. “James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” reads a statement from Jones’ family, “We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.”
“Ask him all your pressing questions about the Force, the Galactic Empire… or you know, a good strat for the last Storm circle. The Sith Lord has opinions,” Epic says. So, what are people asking him?
Well, Australian streamer Loserfruit has already managed to get the Vader chatbot to swear, call them “Mummy”, and talk about breasts, the latter of which you can see in the clip below.
It’s also enquired if a Rebel Alliance of Skibidi Toilets exists in a chat with another player.
It’s still early days too, and you can only imagine the kinds of things certain people are and will be trying to get it to say.
Oh, it’s also worth noting that because laws exist, Epic’s Vader chatbot FAQ makes it clear that “players under 13 or their country’s age of digital consent, whichever is higher” will need to get their parents’ permission to be able to talk to AI Vader.
It’s like a depressingly 2025 version of getting your mum to approve you hopping on Club Penguin, except this time they’re saying yes to a parental control to “allow voice and written communication with AI Features” Epic’s added to the game’s settings and some other places detailed in the FAQ.
That’s it. This is a thing.