Troy Baker Wants to Level Up From Voice Acting to Building His Own Game Studio

Troy Baker has spent years bringing some of gaming’s most iconic characters to life, from The Last of Us to Death Stranding. Now, after working alongside some of the biggest creative forces in the industry, he’s looking at the next chapter of his career, and it involves building something of his own.

During a conversation with Kinda Funny Games, Baker opened up about his growing interest in stepping into game development. He’s thinking long-term, shaped by years of experience working with top-tier studios and creators.

He said: "To be able to take those tenets and principles, lessons and losses and be able to form something new out of that. I want to tell my own stories.

“I want to proliferate the wisdom and the experience that those other great studios - and bad - have given me and be able to fold that into new experiences and try my hand at it."

That perspective comes from a career that’s put him in the room with industry heavyweights like Neil Druckmann, Hideo Kojima, Ken Levine, Todd Howard, and Vince Zampella. That kind of résumé isn’t just impressive, it’s a crash course in how great games are made.

In a separate interview with Eurogamer, Baker reflected on those experiences, saying: "I've had an incredible opportunity working with the best in this industry, it's insane - Ken Levine, Hideo Kojima, Neil Druckmann, Todd Howard, Vince Zampella - these people are paragons of the industry. I've worked with these people, and I've learned so much from them."

Baker isn’t rushing to slap a name on a studio and dive in headfirst. He wants to build the right team and create the right environment before anything officially takes shape.

He explained: "I want to build a team. I am excited about building a studio with people that I've worked with, that I trust, and going, 'Here's my idea. How can you make it better?'"

Timing is also a big factor. Baker made it clear there’s no strict deadline driving this decision: "I've seen a lot of people who have rushed into opportunities, and I want to do it right. And especially if I'm going to create a studio where other people are going to be responsible for my choices, I have to make the right ones."

He’s stepping into a growing trend, too. More voice actors are moving beyond performance and into development. Abubakar Salim launched Surgent Studios, while Ray Chase and others have taken creative control in similar ways. Even Robbie Daymond and Max Mittelman have helped build new studios.

For Baker, it feels like a natural progression. He’s already been part of some of the most memorable storytelling in gaming. Taking that knowledge and applying it to original projects could lead to something really interesting, especially if he surrounds himself with the right collaborators.

There’s also a bigger picture here. With the industry dealing with layoffs and uncertainty, new studios mean new opportunities. Someone with Baker’s connections and experience could open doors for a lot of talent.

Nothing has been officially announced yet, but the intent is clear. Troy Baker is thinking about the worlds he wants to create next.