High on Lifeannounced its first DLC during Summer Game Fest, but something was missing from its 45-second teaser - Justin Roiland. He has been embroiled in controversy over alleged felony domestic battery and claims of predatory behaviour toward minors, leading to hisfiring from Rick & Mortyanddeparture from developer Squanch Games. That begs the question, was he also dropped from High on Knife?
“The DLC takes place two years after the end of the base game, so who knows what could have happened between now and then,” Squanch Games told TheGamer when asked if Roiland would be returning to voice any of his characters (or any new ones) in the DLC.
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It’s not a confirmation or outright denial of Roiland returning, but Squanch Games being purposefully vague about changes happening over two years does seem to point at new voices taking centre stage. Having a time skip could be its way of cutting off from the game’s past, allowing it to move on from Roiland. Given that he isn’t at Squanch Games anymore and has had all these allegations levied against him, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find out that he’s absent. Especially considering we only heard one voice in the teaser, Michael Cusac, AKA the voice of Knifey.
Justin Roiland’s domestic abuse charges weredropped at the end of Marchthis year due to a lack of “sufficient evidence”. Following this news, he finally made a statement after months of radio silence. He said that he was “deeply shaken” by the reports of his behaviour and “disappointed” that people were “quick to judge without knowing the facts”. He claims that the lawsuit was simply a result of an “embittered ex” trying to ‘cancel’ him. Regardless, there are still allegations against him, and he is not returning to Rick & Morty as the show pushes forward with new actors. It will also be dubbing over Roiland for season seven.
The charges dropped were only for Roiland’s alleged domestic battery - other claims were made during that time. It surfaced thatCartoon Network reportedly investigated Roiland in 2020due to sexual harassment complaints, and he was accused ofgrooming fans and minors through social media. One alleged victim even shared DMs with Roiland on Twitter - they claim to have discussed their childhood sexual trauma, which Roiland allegedly responded to with, “Not gonna lie… I have kinks around what you just said, but I also am so so SO focused on my partner’s pleasure.”
With High on Knife focusing on Knifey, it sounds like the game - and by extension, Squanch - is trying to distance itself from Roiland much as Rick & Morty is.
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