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According to newly revealed information from the studio behind the title, Arc Raiders reportedly make use of AI tools for producing some voice lines. This development strongly echoes the situation that surrounded the studio's 2023 hit, The Finals.

Release Details

Debuted on October 30 for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox, Arc Raiders is positioned as a more accessible entry point to the extraction shooter genre. Unlike more hardcore titles like Escape from Tarkov, it aims to offer a user-friendly experience. This release has largely been strong ratings, presently achieving a excellent rating on the popular platform based on over 8,000 player reviews.

Technology Statement

Within the title's dedicated store listing, a notice regarding computer-assisted production draws comparisons: "During development, we might apply automated and generative systems to support asset production. In all cases, the resulting game embodies the original ideas of our development team."

Past Issue

The Finals, a well-received competitive FPS recognized for its responsive controls and destructive environments, faced criticism for its use of AI prior to its full release. Throughout its pre-release trial, the title's sound specialist revealed in a online discussion that the development team had used artificial intelligence systems for producing dialogue lines. This announcement triggered swift criticism from industry talent and industry professionals, who claimed that AI-generated voices were of notably lower quality compared to human performances and that such methods could displace voice-acting jobs.

Developer Response

In response, Embark Studios explained that they had hired professional voice actors to record original voice lines for The Finals, but supplemented these with synthetic voice systems to create extra content inspired by those initial performances. The studio's rationale focused on the development speed achieved through this technique.

Latest Developments

About Arc Raiders, the title's creative lead commented that the game does not employ generative AI at all," though he did not provide details on the specific interpretation of the store notice. He did admit, however, that the identical voice system implemented in The Finals was also applied in Arc Raiders.

Our approach involves combination of professional actor recordings and material produced using TTS tools in our releases, according to the requirements," commented a company spokesperson. "Sometimes, recording real scenes where actors get together — enabling actor relationships and conflict to define the final product — is something that provides substance to our digital universes that technology can't emulate. Other times, notably when it concerns contextual in-game action call-outs, text-to-speech enables us to have personalized speech where we otherwise wouldn't e.g. due to development pace."

Gamer Feedback

Early feedback to the use of generative tools in Arc Raiders has been relatively mixed, especially during the early days. Some players have expressed strong opposition.

• Synthetic speech represents a stain on an otherwise incredible title," stated one player in a forum post.
• I dislike that they used it in The Finals and am disappointed to hear they repeated it for this game," added another.
• The result was quickly detectable in the dialogue delivery for a specific character," mentioned a another gamer.

Nevertheless, other players have taken a more accepting position.

• "Don't give a fuck, they paid voice actors and applied it appropriately," wrote one online participant.
• "This is as ethical as it is possible nowadays, unfortunately," concluded another.

The continuing discussion regarding AI implementation in interactive entertainment appears set to endure as developers weigh production speed with artistic integrity and ethical considerations.