Marshawn Lynch To Appear In Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Activision has booked a celebrity to play a role in the latest Call of Duty game, but it might not be who you expect. The latest issue of ESPN The Magazine is a double issue with a feature article on the crossover between athletes and video games. Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks is on its cover, and it’s revealed inside he’ll be playing a character in the game.
Lynch has played Call of Duty before, plenty of times, but never actually PLAYED it in the acting sense. So what led to the casting of a big beefy football star anyway (besides the bro factor for marketing purposes)? Mark Lamia, studio head of Treyarch Studios, told ESPN “For Marshawn’s role, we needed an imposing figure. When we learned he’s a huge fan, we thought it’d be awesome to have him inside our game.” Black Ops 3 won’t just include Lynch’s voice, but his moves (thanks to mocap) and even his face.
Other features of ESPN’s gaming issue will involve profiles on YouTube’s PewDiePie, South Korean gaming prodigy “Faker,” interviews with athlete/gamers Kevin Durant of the NBA and Patrick Peterson of the NFL, and what’s listed as “a story about why one woman refuses to abandon video games in the wake of increased harassment.” (Wish they were specific. Given the sad state of things, this could be any woman.) But for the Marshawn story, you don’t actually have to buy the issue. ESPN has put it online here.