As ARC Raiders continues its steady development, Embark Studios, a mainstay of the shoot-and-escape game genre, is constantly refining the game's details, aiming to maintain mainstream industry tastes while developing its own unique style.
A week ago, Embark Studios announced changes to the game's voice acting, advocating for the replacement of the original AI-generated voices with real-life voice actors. CEO Patrick Söderlund believes this is crucial for enhancing the overall quality and player immersion.
To learn more, follow along as I continue.
Key Dialogues Re-recorded by Humans
Today, it's undeniable that ARC Raiders has achieved a significant market share, boasting sales and approximately one million weekly active players. This growing audience constantly puts the game in the spotlight. Therefore, the somewhat stiff AI voice acting is no longer suitable.
Early on, some players complained about AI dialogue sounding out of place in the beautifully designed world-building. This shows that the voice acting issues were already emerging. Embark Studios believes that actors imbue their recorded voices with rich emotion and experience. Subtle differences lie hidden within this.
Of course, Söderlund further clarifies that this doesn't mean replacing all AI lines with humans. He argues that for certain scenes in the game, such as those emphasizing emotional expression, crucial moments, and scenes involving subtext, human actors are clearly more suitable.
For the already well-received AI-generated clips, an upgraded approach will be adopted. This choice between human actors and AI demonstrates the developers' efforts to balance the daily workload and costs of game voice acting.
Embark continues to emphasize that the game's primary visual presentation is unrelated to generative AI. This clearly demonstrates the studio's firm stance and principles, conveying a clear boundary between intelligent tools and game style. It effectively answers previous controversies surrounding the alleged involvement of AI in the game's development process.
With the voice changes in ARC Raiders, the game's monthly sales reached 14 million, and weekly active users exceeded 6 million, which seems to reflect the players' attitude. The voice changes may seem like a minor step, but as a creative means of retaining players, they appear to be very successful. Voice is a companion for players in the game, and a human touch becomes key.
Voice acting quality consistently outweighs cost
With AI dialogue developing rapidly and becoming increasingly sophisticated, more and more game developers are choosing to abandon voice actors. However, it's not without flaws; the core issue is the lack of human emotional expression. This can be seen in easily overlooked pauses, subtle breathing sounds, and noticeably different tones of voice.
The shortcomings of AI dialogue are precisely where the professional skills of voice actors shine. It's worth mentioning that large-scale narrative games like Baldur's Gate 3 still use real actors, with a cast exceeding one hundred. This undoubtedly represents a significant investment of time, experience, and valuable effort from Larian Studios.
In fact, the economic benefits of the changes cannot be measured solely by the lower cost of AI; it's a crucial aspect of game strategy. Synthetic voices can adapt to the rapid pace of technological change, as frequent updates to game storylines necessitate quick selection of live-action voice actors.
However, it's important to consider the substantial number of game users. The existence of placeholder ships would force rework, undoubtedly eroding player trust and immersion.
Embark opted for a hybrid approach, combining AI and live actors. On one hand, AI ensures timely updates to the game's voice packs, improving operational speed. On the other hand, live actors primarily enrich emotional expression, providing nuance and complement.
This combination achieves the optimal voice solution to the greatest extent possible. Inevitably, the ever-expanding user base will lead to increasing costs, continuously posing new challenges for Embark Studios.
Outlook for AI Voice in Gaming Industry
The development of ARC Raiders is no longer as modest as it once was and comes at a critical time when the entire gaming industry is being forced to rethink AI. According to the latest gaming industry survey released by GDC, many game developers are beginning to use generative AI, which is a dangerous sign.
Fortunately, most developers remain concerned about the negative impacts of AI on games, and consequently, on employment, ethics, and quality. Convenience often leads to significant problems. This issue has attracted the attention of SAG-AFTRA and UK Equity, both of which strongly advocate for the need for permission to use synthesized voices in interactive media. Compensation and protection are also essential.
Currently, many studios are making moves in the field of AI voice synthesis. For example, using AI to simulate casual conversations and NPC dialogues, and using AI learning to complete dialogue for a deceased actor. It is worth noting that AI's capabilities are growing stronger and cannot be ignored.
Based on market feedback and analysis of diverse audience opinions, it's generally believed that while AI can compensate for shortcomings, it shouldn't be used to replace live-action performances. Tools must be used appropriately to fulfill their intended purpose.
Embark will also be making minor tweaks to the voice acting and some ARC Raiders Items; players can look forward to it. Knowing that ARC Raiders is focusing on live-action voice acting, do you have any thoughts on other aspects of the game?
