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"Space Channel 5"

Date range of voice recording assessed by the facts that Mizuguchi states that “[they] had one month to finalize… [and] Michael wanted to do something”, and the game was released on December 16, 1999. It was most likely summer due to the months required for printing final discs for release.

Tetsuya Mizuguchi, series creator, “The Guardian” (February 7, 2007) (archived)

“The Guardian”: What's the full story behind Michael Jackson's appearance in the Space Channel 5 games?

Tetsuya Mizuguchi: We were in the middle of production of Space Channel 5, in 1998 or 1999. I got a call from the US from my partner (the exec producer of Space Channel 5), and he said, "Oh, Michael wants to act in Space Channel 5." I said, "Who's Michael?" "Who is Michael Jackson?," he said. "The Michael Jackson, the real Michael Jackson!"

My partner had shown him the 60-70% complete version, when it was almost at the end of the game. We had one month to finalise. But Michael wanted to do something so we suggested that if he was OK with it, we could program the people in the game do the Michael Jackson dance when taken over by the aliens He said yeah. We initially had five aliens who danced. One of them became Michael Jackson.

“The Guardian”: Was he pleased with the result?

Mizuguchi: Yeah.