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Per recent disclosures from the studio behind the title, Arc Raiders seems to make use of generative systems for producing some spoken content. This revelation strongly echoes the issue that surrounded the studio's previous success, The Finals.

Release Details

Debuted on the last day of October for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox, Arc Raiders is marketed as a gentler introduction to the competitive survival style. Unlike complex games like Escape from Tarkov, it seeks to offer a more approachable gameplay. The title has generally earned strong ratings, maintaining a "very positive" score on Steam based on over 8,000 user evaluations.

Technology Statement

On the product's Steam page, a clear disclosure regarding artificially created material invites parallels: In the production phase, we may employ algorithmic and intelligent systems to assist with asset production. In every instance, the resulting game reflects the original ideas of our development team."

Earlier Debate

The Finals, a popular competitive FPS recognized for its responsive controls and dynamic battlefields, encountered backlash for its adoption of generative tools prior to its official launch. In its public testing phase, the project's audio lead mentioned in a online discussion that the company had employed generative technology for creating vocal tracks. This revelation generated instant backlash from industry talent and industry professionals, who argued that computer-created dialogue were of notably lower quality compared to professional recordings and that such methods could eliminate voice-acting jobs.

Company Position

Addressing concerns, the development team stated that they had employed skilled voice actors to create initial spoken content for The Finals, but enhanced these with TTS technology to produce supplementary material based on those professional deliveries. The developer's reasoning centered on the significant time savings achieved through this approach.

Current Situation

Concerning Arc Raiders, the game's design director commented that the game "in no way uses artificial intelligence creation at all," though he declined to elaborate on the precise meaning of the store notice. He did acknowledge, however, that the same vocal technology employed in The Finals was also incorporated in Arc Raiders.

We employ a mix of live performance content and content created through synthetic voice systems in our releases, depending on the requirements," stated a development team member. For specific scenarios, recording real scenes where performers collaborate — allowing character chemistry and drama to define the final product — is something that adds depth to our game worlds that AI cannot replicate. Other times, especially when it relates to dynamic gameplay announcements, synthetic voice permits us to have customized dialogue where we typically could not such as due to speed of implementation."

Player Reactions

Early feedback to the use of generative tools in Arc Raiders has been somewhat nuanced, especially during the early days. Certain gamers have expressed strong opposition.

• "AI voices are a stain on an mostly outstanding experience," stated one user in a forum post.
• I dislike that they used it in The Finals and am sad to hear they employed it once more for this game," commented another.
• The result was immediately noticeable in the vocal lines for Shani," observed a another gamer.

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

• "Don't give a fuck, they hired talent and applied it appropriately," wrote one forum user.
• "This is as ethical as it currently exists, I'm afraid," concluded another.

The ongoing discussion regarding AI implementation in video game production appears set to persist as developers juggle development pace with creative quality and ethical considerations.