Is Kenny in High on Life 2? What happened to the character explained
Kenny is missing in action.
If you played High on Life back in 2022, and now you're jumping into High on Life 2, you might be wondering what happened to the character of Kenny.
Voiced by Justin Roiland, Kenny was the first talking gun you picked up in the original game, with his Glob Shot being a memorable aid in puzzle situations.
In 2023, bridging the gap between High on Life and High on Life 2, a DLC was released called High on Knife. In this expansion, players found out the fate of Kenny.
If you're not sure what happened there, keep on reading and we'll explain.
Is Kenny in High on Life 2?
No, Kenny is not in High on Life 2.
The character of Kenny is nowhere to be seen in this sci-fi sequel, although there are nine different guns to collect (plus Knifey, making 10 weapons in total).
Returning to your arsenal from the first game are Gus, Sweezy and Creature, with Lezduit appearing in more of a supporting role. But nope, there's no cameo for Kenny.
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Why isn't Kenny in High on Life 2?
The real-world reason for Kenny's absence is that Justin Roiland, who voiced the character and played a major role in creating the original High on Life, no longer works at developer Squanch Games.
In 2020, domestic violence charges were brought forward against Roiland, which he strongly denied. They became public knowledge on 12 January 2023, being reported by NBC News.
On 16 January 2023, Squanch Games posted on X that they had "received Justin Roiland's resignation".
Squanch added at the time: "The passionate team at Squanch will keep developing games we know our fans will love while continuing to support and improve High on Life."
Those original charges against Roiland, however, were dropped in March 2023 due to insufficient evidence.
Roiland released a statement to social media at the time stating he was "thankful the case has been dismissed", writing: "I have always known that these claims were false – and I never had any doubt that this day would come.
"I’m still deeply shaken by the horrible lies that were reported about me during this process.
“Now that the legal case has ended, I’m determined to move forward and focus both on my creative projects and restoring my good name.”
In September 2023, Roiland faced allegations of sexual assault, as well as accusations of "pursuing young fans, some underage", in an NBC News report.
In response to the claims, Roiland's lawyer Andrew Brettler said that all allegations were "false and defamatory".
Roiland has not returned to work at Squanch Games. High on Life 2 has been made without Roiland's involvement, and his character Kenny was not recast either.
What happened to Kenny in the canon of the game?
Canonically, the player-character dropped Kenny and lost him after the events of High on Life.
Kenny's absence is explained like so in the opening moments of High of Knife, the 2023 DLC for the first game.
A news reader mentions this in passing, while talking about the player-character. He says, simply: "They lost one of their guns."
Midway through the DLC, Gene says over the radio: "I'm just calling to say hey, and to remind you to not drop any more of your guns. You were lucky that we found Harper and that she's almost the same sub-species of Gatlian. Seriously, you gotta be more careful. These are living beings."
At the end of the game, Knifey annoys Gene, prompting Gene to say: "Bounty Hunter, drop this knife where you dropped Kenny."
If you missed the DLC, you can see all of these scenes on YouTube.
In the DLC, Harper is swapped in as a replacement for Kenny in terms of the gameplay. In the sequel, Harper now belongs to your sister and you'll spend the game collecting guns - some new, some returning, but none of them are Kenny.
If you want to learn more about High on Life 2, check out our big developer interview. We've also got all the bounties and cast members listed out for you too.
Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
