Fortnite’s AI Darth Vader Feature Quickly Spirals into Controversy

Fortnite has added one of the coolest features in its Star Wars "Galactic Battle" update: a fully interactive, AI-powered Darth Vader who actually talks back. But within hours of going live, that same Vader became a bit of a PR nightmare.

The AI character, voiced using the likeness of the late James Earl Jones, was supposed to be a fun, immersive experience. Players who defeat Vader in-game can recruit him as an ally and even talk to him using their microphones. Pretty epic, right?

Well, it didn’t take long for players to push those boundaries—and break them.

“I Made Him Swear!”

Popular streamer Loserfruit was among the first to show just how far this tech could be pushed. In a now-viral clip, she managed to get the AI Vader to repeat curse words—including the f-bomb.

Although Vader eventually responded by scolding her for her “vulgarity” and speaking “like a common thug,” the damage was already done. Her surprised reaction—“I made him swear!”—spread quickly across social media.

Worse incidents soon followed. One user managed to trick Vader into repeating a homophobic slur, while another recorded him delivering a controversial take on languages. When asked if he spoke Spanish, AI Vader responded: “Spanish? A useful tongue for smugglers and spice-traders. Its strategic value is minimal.”

Epic Responds Fast

Epic Games responded swiftly, pushing out a hotfix within 30 minutes of the first major incident. In a statement, the company explained that the homophobic response stemmed from a conversation around “carcinogens”, and the problematic language had been patched out.

Still, the fact that players were able to get past Vader’s filters so easily raised eyebrows. Epic confirmed that Vader had already been programmed not to swear, mention V-Bucks (the game’s currency), overuse Star Wars or Disney quotes, or say anything harmful—particularly in a game with a large child audience.

Yet as players quickly demonstrated, even the best safeguards can be sidestepped with clever phrasing or unintended context.

AI Voice of Late Actor

To power this interactive feature, Epic partnered with Google’s Gemini AI and ElevenLabs’ Flash voice model, which combine to process players' voice inputs and generate appropriate responses in real time. The recreated voice of James Earl Jones was approved by his family.

“James Earl felt that the voice of Darth Vader was inseparable from the story of Star Wars, and he always wanted fans of all ages to continue to experience it,” reads the family’s statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character.”

This isn’t the first time Fortnite has recreated a celebrity who has passed away—last year, the game featured a virtual concert honoring rapper Juice Wrld, who died in 2019. 

Epic says player audio is not stored and that the AI Vader only understands and responds in English.

Where to Find AI Vader

The AI-powered Darth Vader currently spawns in three locations on the map:

• Southeast of Foxy Floodgate

• West of Masked Meadows (near the mountain tunnel)

• Center of the Samurai’s Solitude region

Once defeated, Vader can be recruited and spoken to by the first player or squad to reach him.

A Feature for Everyone? Maybe Not Yet

Given Fortnite’s massive popularity with younger players, the introduction of voice-based AI raises important questions about content moderation, player safety, and AI misuse.

To help address parental concerns, Epic has added a new toggle in Fortnite’s Parental Controls menu: “Allow written and voice communication with AI features.” Disabling it prevents children from interacting with AI Vader entirely.

For now, players can still enjoy the novelty of having Darth Vader as a teammate who talks back—but Epic may be facing more scrutiny than celebration over how this feature rolled out.