Embark Studios CCO and co-founder Stefan Strandberg has clarified that the developer didn't use generative AI when making most of its soon-to-be hit extraction shooter Arc Raiders, and the only AI tech that was used during development was for text-to-speech voices.
Arc Raiders came out across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 earlier today and is swinging out of the gates with a boatload of hype - its first Server Slam test attracted thousands of concurrent players and strong word of mouth - but one specific controversy has dampened the otherwise exciting launch.
Over the last couple of weeks, some online fans have posted clips accusing the developer of trying to "replace voice actors" based on voice lines that were allegedly generated by AI. Back in 2023, developers confirmed AI text-to-speech had been used in the studio's previous shooter, The Finals, adding more smoke to the fire in this instance.
Now, speaking to GamesRadar+, Strandberg confirmed that Arc Raiders does indeed include about as much AI content as The Finals. "We use a combination of recordings of real actors and TTS," he explains. "So that's true for this game as well."
Strandberg also tries to alleviate fears that the studio is working to swap human talent for AI tech, however, promising that "there's no end goal in replacing any actors" because "there's something fantastical that happens when you bring real actors in, and they are contributing to the lore, as well, of this game world." Others would argue that shipping a game with AI voices in the first place is already replacing a job that could've gone to an actual actor.
AI text-to-speech is instead what Strandberg calls a "studio strategy" to punch above its weight. "We are trying to maximize what we can, being a small team trying to get make rich worlds right, but still staying small... but we don't use generative AI in other domains across the game," he added.
Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund echoed that sentiment earlier this month, sharing aspirations that AI development could help the studio "build content a hundred times faster," while acknowledging " the human aspect is still essential."
The Finals is still going strong and Arc Raiders is about to release, but Embark Studios has two other projects it hasn't even announced yet: "One of the concepts we have has a lot more edge to it."
