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Based on newly revealed information from the studio behind the title, Arc Raiders reportedly make use of AI tools for generating certain spoken content. This revelation closely resembles the issue that emerged around the developer's previous success, The Finals.

Game Overview

Released on the last day of October for Sony's console, Windows PC, and Xbox, Arc Raiders is described as a gentler entry point to the extraction shooter category. Unlike more hardcore titles like Escape from Tarkov, it aims to offer a welcoming experience. The title has largely been strong ratings, presently achieving a highly favorable rating on the popular platform based on thousands of user evaluations.

Development Approach

On the game's official store listing, a clear disclosure regarding computer-assisted production invites parallels: Throughout creation, we might apply algorithmic and intelligent technologies to assist with asset production. In all cases, the resulting game showcases the creativity and vision of our studio staff."

Past Issue

The Finals, a well-received online combat game recognized for its fluid combat and dynamic battlefields, received negative feedback for its use of AI prior to its official launch. Throughout its pre-release trial, the title's sound specialist mentioned in a podcast interview that the company had employed AI tools for producing vocal tracks. This statement triggered swift backlash from voice actors and creative personnel, who stated that synthetic speech were of reduced caliber compared to professional recordings and that such practices could replace acting roles.

Company Position

Reacting to feedback, the development team stated that they had employed skilled talent to record original dialogue for The Finals, but enhanced these with TTS technology to create extra lines modeled after those professional deliveries. The developer's reasoning focused on the production efficiency gained from this technique.

Current Situation

About Arc Raiders, the project's design head recently stated that the title does not employ artificial intelligence creation at all," though he did not provide details on the exact nature of the store notice. He did admit, however, that the same vocal technology employed in The Finals was also incorporated in Arc Raiders.

"We use a mix of recorded voice audio and material produced using synthetic voice systems in our games, depending on the context," explained a company spokesperson. "Sometimes, recording real scenes where talent interacts — allowing performance dynamics and tension to influence the result — is something that contributes richness to our virtual environments that AI cannot replicate. In other instances, especially when it concerns contextual in-game action call-outs, text-to-speech enables us to have tailored VO where we could not e.g. due to speed of implementation."

Gamer Feedback

Initial response to the use of generative tools in Arc Raiders has been relatively mixed, notably in the early days. A portion of the community have shown clear disapproval.

• "AI voices are a stain on an otherwise incredible title," commented one gamer in a online discussion.
• I oppose that they implemented it in The Finals and am sad to hear they did it again for this game," responded another.
• The result was instantly apparent in the vocal lines for a specific character," observed a another gamer.

However, different gamers have adopted a more tolerant attitude.

• I don't care, they compensated performers and implemented it effectively," commented one online participant.
• This demonstrates acceptable as it is possible nowadays, unfortunately," added another.

The continuing discussion about technology adoption in video game production looks prepared to continue as developers juggle development pace with creative quality and responsible practices.