On December 9, Indiana Jones will get his first video game adaptation in over a decade with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. With over three hours of cinematic cutscenes, multiple tools at players’ disposal, and a globe-spanning adventure, the game is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year.
With the release date approaching and preorders for the game already available, Digital Trends caught up with Executive Producer Todd Howard and Indiana Jones actor Troy Baker to discuss The Great Circle and the wild few years they’ve had with the success of the Fallout and The Last of Us series adaptations. Both talked about the effort and insecurity behind turning an iconic character into a video game hero once again. Like a lot of skeptics, Baker didn't believe he was cut out for it originally -- and neither did Todd Howard.
Digital Trends: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle takes place between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, so it focuses on a younger Indy. When you went to make the game, did you get any tips or advice from Harrison Ford or Steven Spielberg about how Indy would move, act, and talk?
Howard: They’re aware of the project, but we really used the movies as our guide. We looked at Raiders and said this is the character, this is the time period in his life, and these are his mannerisms.
Baker: We have 40 years of source material, so there’s a lot to learn from. To prepare for the role, I would wake up every morning and watch some of Raiders, then I’d listen to John Williams’ score, and watch Temple and Crusade. What I found is that Harrison Ford is the auteur of that character, along with Lucas and Spielberg. But the Indy we all know and love is also created by how we all felt watching those movies. My idea of Indy will be a little different from Todd’s, even though we’re watching the same character in the same movie. For me, it’s not just about understanding his mannerisms and movements, it’s about understanding what’s behind it all. That’s what really helped us take the character they created and make our own story for him.
Troy Baker stars as Indiana Jones Bethesda/MachineGames
I have to say, you did a fantastic job of recreating his voice in the game.
Baker: You know, I didn’t originally think I’d be right for the role. Back in 2019, Tom Keegan, a director I’d never worked with before, reached out to my agent and asked if he could call me. He said that they were casting for an Indiana Jones game and he’d like me for the role. I said, "Great I’ll give you two names and one of these two people will be a great fit." He said, "Thanks, but I like you for this role." So I agreed to put myself on tape, and I told him that if he thinks it’s good, he can send it on, but if it’s not, then burn that tape (laughs). He ended up liking my audition and everything culminated in one final Zoom call with everyone, including Todd. And Todd gets on and says, "I didn’t want you in my game." It was a hell of a way to start a meeting.
Howard: I’ll be honest, when they first said they wanted Troy for the game, I gave an eye roll. I believe my exact line was, "What, Troy Baker’s the guy to solve every lead actor issue in a game now?" (laughs) It just felt like a cop-out in some way. But then Troy’s audition came in, and it was just so good. It wasn’t just the voice, but also the mannerisms. We even did a bunch of blind tests with Troy and some of the other possible actors, and every time, Troy won.
