Call of Duty Black Ops 6 has quietly replaced some of its Zombies cast – here’s why

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 publisher Activision has replaced some of the shooter’s voice actors amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA actor strike.

The voices of Zombie mode characters William Peck and Samantha Maxis – hitherto portrayed by Zeke Alton and Julie Nathanson, respectively – seem to have changed between pre-release and now, with no formal word from the publisher or developer Treyarch about the change.

It also appears that Alton has been pulled from the credits, too, whilst Nathanson remains on the list – albeit uncredited for individual roles – making it difficult to know what characters are now voiced by who.

Alton expanded a little on the changes, saying “to the best of [their] knowledge, that performance is not [mine]”.

“It’s [Activision’s] character, and they can do with it what they please,” Alton told Game Developer. “My only concern is for my brand as a performer. Fans of the game have reached out to me because the lack of crediting [of the replacement actor] implies that it may still be me, which unfairly represents my abilities as a performer.

“I have no issue with Activision’s actions with a character and IP that they own,” Alton added. “I absolutely adore the creative team and the opportunity I’ve had to collaborate with them in the past. I sincerely hope to collaborate in the future once all performers are protected against generative AI abuse.”

In a careful statement to press, Activision said it would not comment on the specifics “out of respect for all parties”, adding it “respect[ed] the personal choice of these performers [to strike]” but wouldn’t “add new commentary about the ongoing negotiations” with SAG-AFTRA. It then simply said it was “looking forward to a mutually beneficial outcome as soon as possible”.

Video game performers with US actors’ union SAG-AFTRA are currently striking over concerns about the use of AI and a lack of protection for actors.

In related news, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 players recently hit out at “AI slop” they believe has been used within the game and its promotional materials.

Last weekend, players noticed a six-fingered zombified Father Christmas had popped up on the loading screen, and whilst some fans simply attributed this as a nod to the fact this is the sixth Black Ops game, others alleged it was evidence that the art was machine-generated, as AI typically struggles to generate realistic-looking hands.