Arc Raiders devs Embark insist that using genAI for voice lines was necessary, as "actors would just go crazy if they had to read all of that"

Key Points:

• Embark used AI-generated voice lines in their game Arc Raiders based on real actors' performances to save time and money, but CEO Patrick Söderlund later confirmed they are replacing these with actual recorded lines.
• Audio director Bence Pajor justified AI use as a way to avoid scheduling conflicts with actors and to handle the impracticality of recording every possible voice line variation.
• Voice actresses Jo Rideout and Diana Gardner expressed mixed feelings, appreciating the flexible recording time but concerned about not fully owning the AI-generated final performances.
• Embark's CCO Stefan Strandberg insists they are not aiming to replace actors, emphasizing a desire to celebrate and give more space to performances despite initially cutting costs with AI.
• Critics highlight that using AI to cut costs and speed development reflects a troubling industry trend, especially as many large games have historically managed extensive voice recordings without AI.