Embark Studios has come out with a statement on the controversy surrounding the use of AI voice-acting in ARC Raiders, an issue that even prompted Neil Newbom (or Astarion, as you might know him) to provide a comment.
Speaking to Games Industry, Patrick Söderlund, who heads Embark, clarified that the studio’s voice actors are paid for their time as well as for the rights to use their voice in situations where their presence isn’t possible, or absolutely required.
“We pay our actors for all time spent with us in the booth and continue to bring many of them back as we carry on updating the game…For select usage, we also pay them for the approval to license their voices through text-to-speech for lines that aren’t as essential to the immersion of the experience, mostly ping system audio.”
However, the studio has apparently invited its cast back for some re-recording, thereby minimising the amount of AI-generated lines being used in the game. Söderlund had something to say on that, too.
“We re-recorded some of the lines post-launch and made them with real voices. There is a quality difference. A real professional actor is better than AI; that’s just how it is.”
We’re inclined to agree, and it’s heartening to see a studio step out in front of player complaints and take efforts to conduct some meaningful damage control in the face of valid complaints. It wouldn’t be the first time for Embark to do so, and it seems that the studio is dedicated to sustaining the momentum that its take on extraction shooters has garnered since its release. Here’s to hoping for more good things to come from Embark, and, of course, ARC Raiders.
For more details on what’s next, check out the developer’s roadmap here.