🔗 Share this article

Based on newly revealed information from the game's developer, Arc Raiders seems to make use of generative systems for generating certain spoken content. This development closely resembles the debate that surrounded the developer's previous success, The Finals.

Release Details

Released on October 30th for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, Arc Raiders is described as a gentler on-ramp to the competitive survival category. Compared to more hardcore titles like Escape from Tarkov, it strives to offer a welcoming gameplay. This release has mostly received favorable reviews, presently achieving a highly favorable reception on digital distribution based on over 8,000 gamer feedback.

Technology Statement

Via the game's official Steam page, a notice regarding computer-assisted production invites parallels: "During development, we may employ algorithmic and intelligent technologies to facilitate content creation. Regardless of method, the final output reflects the original ideas of our development team."

Earlier Debate

The Finals, a successful online combat game recognized for its fluid combat and destructive environments, received negative feedback for its use of AI ahead of its public debut. In its pre-release trial, the game's audio designer disclosed in a podcast interview that the studio had leveraged AI tools for developing vocal tracks. This statement triggered swift backlash from professional performers and game developers, who stated that AI-generated voices were of notably lower quality compared to human performances and that such approaches could displace acting roles.

Studio Explanation

Reacting to feedback, the company stated that they had contracted experienced talent to create initial voice lines for The Finals, but expanded these with TTS technology to produce supplementary lines inspired by those original recordings. The company's explanation centered on the significant time savings obtained via this method.

Present Circumstances

Concerning Arc Raiders, the game's design director commented that the release does not employ AI generation whatsoever," though he did not provide details on the specific interpretation of the store notice. He did confirm, however, that the equivalent speech tools used for The Finals was also utilized in Arc Raiders.

"We use a mix of recorded voice audio and audio generated via text-to-speech technology in our titles, according to the requirements," commented a studio representative. For specific scenarios, filming actual interactions where talent interacts — enabling performance dynamics and conflict to shape the outcome — is something that provides substance to our digital universes that AI cannot replicate. Other times, notably when it concerns dynamic gameplay announcements, TTS allows us to have customized dialogue where we otherwise wouldn't for example due to production timelines."

Community Response

Early feedback to the incorporation of automated systems in Arc Raiders has been relatively mixed, especially during the launch window. Certain gamers have shown clear disapproval.

• Artificial intelligence dialogue is a blemish on an mostly outstanding experience," commented one user in a forum post.
• I dislike that they used it in The Finals and am disappointed to hear they employed it once more for this game," added another.
• "It was immediately noticeable in the dialogue delivery for one protagonist," mentioned a another gamer.

However, other players have adopted a more open-minded stance.

• I don't care, they paid voice actors and implemented it effectively," stated one online participant.
• "This is as ethical as it currently exists, sadly," concluded another.

The persistent controversy about artificial intelligence use in video game production appears set to endure as developers weigh development pace with creative quality and moral concerns.