Sean Bean, the well-known actor for his work in Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings has starred in many other projects across entertainment. From Robot Chicken to Hitman 2, he’s more than Ned Stark or Boromir. Recently, a former Firaxis Games developer recalled his favorite piece of trivia.
Bean voiced a character in XCOM 2 as a favor while recording for Civ 6. The dev calls him a “stand-up guy” for voicing the character who ends up dying in the same cutscene. The actor just can’t get away from death in these roles.
Sean Bean’s Secret Role in XCOM 2
Jake Solomon revealed this bit of trivia on his time at Firaxis Games. While working on the expansion for XCOM 2, War of the Chosen, the team asked Bean to voice a character for the intro cinematic.
Favorite XCOM trivia bit: Sean Bean voiced a scientist in the intro cinematic for War of the Chosen. And yes, he dies.
— Jake Solomon (@SolomonJake) June 18, 2024
(He was in the booth recording VO for Civ 6, we asked him for the favor and he did it. Stand up guy.)
Because Bean was already in the booth for Civilization VI to voice the narrator, he voiced some lines for the XCOM expansion too. The role was very small, not even officially credited. Bean played one of the scientists who was confronted and taken away by ADVENT soldiers. His death is not explicitly shown but Solomon confirms “yes, he dies.”
Bean’s most notable roles are Ned Stark and Boromir. Both characters die at some point during the stories. Bean might not have made it to the end of either franchise’s stories but fans have taken a liking to having his characters die.
The Actor Was Hidden in Plain Sight in the Game
Some fans have known about this fact for years. However, other players did not know about Bean’s presence in the expansion’s intro cinematic. Solomon has talked about this piece of trivia previously as getting the legendary actor to voice a character in your game would be an honor.
Thats ACTUALLY him?! I assumed it had to be someone who sounded like him – when you say the Civ bit, of course, it makes sense! Thats awesome!
— John Teasdale (@beaglerush) June 18, 2024
From Civ 6, Bean would work on Hitman 2 as Mark Faba. He’s one of the many targets Agent 47 has to take down. Faba’s nickname is “The Undying” because he’s been able to escape death so many times.
This was his first major video game to use his likeness in the final product. All of his previous video game voice acting roles were narration which means only Bean’s voice was needed.
The Hitman franchise was the last time Bean appeared in a video game. Maybe one day he’ll return for a future Civilization or XCOM title.
What do you think of Bean’s secret cameo? Would you like to see him in any other video games? Let us know in the comments what you think!
