In a nutshell: Hollywood stars appearing in video games is far from a new phenomenon. In the case of Vin Diesel, who we saw in the new Ark 2 trailer, he's not only starring in the upcoming title but also working on its development.
Famous names have been appearing in and lending their voices/likeness to games for decades. From great performances such as Mark Hamill's portrayal of Joker in Arkham Asylum/City and Ray Liotta in GTA: Vice City, to embarrassments that include Christopher Walken's performance in Ripper, which is more like someone doing a bad impression of Christopher Walken. Vin Diesel has been in more than most—Wheelman, The Chronicles of Riddick games, Fast & Furious Crossroads—and will be seen in Ark 2.
"Theze giaz!"
Many were surprised to see the action star pop up in the trailer, which debuted at the recent Game Awards , but Diesel is actually a longtime fan of the original, having played thousands of hours of the dinosaur-packed survival game, writes PC Gamer .
Diesel's link with video games extends beyond just appearing in them. He founded Tigon Studios back in 2002, a game developer that primarily created games based on movies featuring the actor. His background likely convinced Studio Wildcard to bring him onboard as an executive producer on Ark 2 with the title of "President of Creative Convergence."
. @vindiesel reported this btw 😈 https://t.co/5DWZDe2W6e
— ARK: Survival Evolved (@survivetheark) December 11, 2020
"He understands the game intimately and is providing direct feedback to the development process," said the developer.
Ark 2 won't be here until 2022, the same year the Ark animated series arrives, in which Diesel will once again play the character of Santiago.