In a recent episode of Character Select, Roger Craig Smith, the voice behind iconic characters including Ezio Auditore, Batman, Captain America, Sonic and Kyle Crane, sat down with TheBestWarGames’s Naomi Kyle.
During the interview, Smith touched on many topics, from his beginnings as a stage actor, to a burgeoning career as a screenwriter and stand-up comedian, and what it took to make it as a voice actor.
He also discussed characters he’d like to play, or revisit. From wanting to be involved in franchises like Halo to Half-Life, he also said that hopefully, one day, he’d be able to reprise his role as Hi-Fi Rush villain Kale Vandelay. If you've ever played Hi-Fi Rush, you know it might be a challenge.
“I would love to revisit Kale Vandelay,” Smith said. “If you're going to be a villain, be a fun villain. Be one that's just sort of... Pompous and bombastic. He was so put upon by so many things, in addition to being unkind and a bad guy.”
While not having any official word on the title in years, HiFi Rush 2 rumors have swirled, despite HiFi Rush developer Tango Gameworks – to the surprise of many – being shuttered by Microsoft.
Hi-Fi Rush Sequel Gets Encouraging Update
A recent interview with some key Tango Gameworks developers provides an encouraging update regarding a Hi-Fi Rush sequel.
“And I don't know that Hi-Fi Rush is coming back. I have no idea what they've got in store for that franchise, but it would be fun to return to something like that,” Smith said.
However, a few months after the news of the studio closure broke, Krafton, the parent company of PUBG Studios and others, announced it was purchasing Tango Gameworks, in part to protect the studio’s Hi-Fi Rush IP.
“Yes, the team was working on Hi-Fi Rush 2 when we first met them. They want to make sure [it] surpasses the expectations of the existing fans,” Krafton’s head of corporate development Maria Park told gameindustry.biz.
That interview took place in October, 2024, and there hasn’t been any word of the sequel since, but it’s probably safe to assume that it’s still in active development. So, it’s possible that Smith will get his chance.