A few years back, when the developers were first sketching out the foundational elements of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, I can’t help but wonder if they fully grasped what they were diving into when they opted for a full likeness of the character. Rather than just crafting a generic Indiana Jones, they decided to make him look, sound, and move exactly like Harrison Ford’s iconic portrayal from the original trilogy of the 1980s—capturing Indy in his prime, and steering clear of the older version seen in the later films.
Creating any video game is an impressive feat, but what MachineGames accomplished here is something truly special, largely thanks to the talent of Troy Baker. Known for his memorable performances as Joel in The Last of Us and Sam Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Baker took on the formidable task of embodying Indiana Jones—a character beloved by fans worldwide. Anything short of a flawless rendition of Ford’s voice simply wouldn’t suffice.
In a revealing video shared by BAFTA on Friday, we got to hear from the developers about how Baker pulled this off. He approached the project with a touch of method acting. For the first table read, held remotely via Microsoft Teams during the pandemic, Baker logged in as "Indiana Jones" and even had the iconic fedora and bullwhip by his side, as shared by cinematic producer Mitra Ashkan Far.
Voice-over designer Emily Hesler and performance director Tom Keegan, who has previously worked on several Wolfenstein and Star Wars titles, were pivotal in getting Baker and others into character. Hesler highlighted a moment around 7:20 of the 27-minute video where they played Baker’s vocalizations as Indy—those brief, but intensely expressive grunts as he endures a pummeling. She pointed out the secret ingredient that made Baker’s portrayal so distinctly Ford-like and compelling.
“I think that’s so Indy right there,” Hesler remarked with a chuckle. “There’s a world of personality in that sound, not just someone reacting to a punch.”
For Hesler, the tone of Baker’s grunts says it all—Indy may be in a tough spot, but he’s determined and far from defeated, with every intention of retaliating.
“It has to have some breathiness,” Hesler elaborated. “There’s a specific tone to it, where he sounds almost annoyed but still very much in character. Attitude and personality shine through in those moments, and Troy nails it every single time.”
After countless hours of guiding Indiana Jones through The Great Circle, I’m still in awe of Baker’s work, which earned him a share of the 2025 DICE Award for Outstanding Achievement in Character. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is set to hit PlayStation 5 shelves this spring, and I can’t wait to dive back in.
