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Based on recent disclosures from the game's developer, Arc Raiders seems to make use of AI tools for generating certain voice lines. This revelation strongly echoes the issue that surrounded the studio's 2023 hit, The Finals.

Release Details

Launched on October 30th for PS5, computer platforms, and Microsoft's console, Arc Raiders is marketed as a more accessible on-ramp to the loot-and-extract category. Unlike more hardcore titles like Escape from Tarkov, it aims to offer a welcoming adventure. The title has generally earned favorable reviews, presently achieving a "very positive" reception on Steam based on thousands of player reviews.

Development Approach

Via the title's dedicated platform description, a notice regarding computer-assisted production invites parallels: "During development, we may employ procedural and AI-based systems to facilitate asset production. In all cases, the final output reflects the creativity and vision of our creative personnel."

Previous Controversy

The Finals, a well-received online combat game famous for its smooth gunplay and destructive environments, encountered backlash for its implementation of artificial intelligence ahead of its official launch. During its pre-release trial, the game's audio designer mentioned in a podcast interview that the studio had employed generative technology for developing vocal tracks. This announcement triggered swift negative reaction from voice actors and creative personnel, who argued that computer-created dialogue were of reduced caliber compared to human performances and that such methods could replace performance opportunities.

Company Position

In response, the development team clarified that they had hired professional voice actors to create initial spoken content for The Finals, but expanded these with TTS technology to create extra content inspired by those initial performances. The studio's rationale highlighted the development speed achieved through this approach.

Current Situation

Concerning Arc Raiders, the project's design head clarified that the game avoids utilizing generative AI in any form," though he did not provide details on the specific interpretation of the Steam disclosure. He did admit, however, that the same vocal technology employed in The Finals was also applied in Arc Raiders.

We employ a blend of live performance content and audio generated via text-to-speech technology in our titles, based on the requirements," commented a development team member. "Sometimes, capturing live performances where talent interacts — allowing performance dynamics and tension to define the final product — is something that contributes richness to our virtual environments that systems cannot duplicate. For different situations, notably when it relates to contextual in-game action call-outs, text-to-speech enables us to have personalized speech where we typically could not e.g. due to development pace."

Player Reactions

Initial response to the use of generative tools in Arc Raiders has been somewhat nuanced, especially during the early days. Certain gamers have shown clear disapproval.

• "AI voices are a blemish on an mostly outstanding game," commented one player in a forum post.
• "I hate that they did it for The Finals and am sad to hear they did it again for this release," responded another.
• The effect was instantly apparent in the dialogue delivery for a specific character," mentioned a third player.

However, other players have adopted a more accepting stance.

• It doesn't bother me, they paid voice actors and applied it appropriately," commented one forum user.
• This demonstrates acceptable as it is possible nowadays, unfortunately," continued another.

The continuing debate regarding technology adoption in game development seems likely to persist as studios balance development pace with performance standards and ethical considerations.