Unless you’ve been hiding away under a rock somewhere, you’ll likely have heard about the ongoing debate regarding ARC Raiders and Embark Studios’ use of AI to create dynamic voices in the game. It warranted one particular outlet to give the game a shockingly low score, prompting the game’s Metacritic rating to tank by a couple of points.
In a bid to defend the game, Nexon’s CEO Junghun Lee has taken to the airwaves to suggest that more developers are using AI than you realize. He directly suggested that ‘every game company’ is using AI in some capacity, and that the ‘AI voice debate’ in the ARC Raiders world is a non-starter.
Should We Ignore The AI-Generated Voices in ARC Raiders?
The presence of AI-generated voices in ARC Raiders is a point of contention for some, but for the majority, it’s not an issue. The game has managed to sell four million copies in a week and has peaked on some platforms with staggering concurrent player counts.
By numbers, ARC Raiders is the highest-rated multiplayer shooter in a decade, and the top-rated extraction shooter ever made.
But that hasn’t stopped some from lambasting the post-apocalyptic shooter on socials, striking it down for what seems to be a misunderstood use of generative AI. Embark Studios has been transparent and pointed out that voice actors provided their talents to be replicated by AI and were paid fairly for their work, but that’s not enough to placate some.
Junghun Lee, CEO of Nexon, the parent company of Embark Studios, explained in an interview:
First of all, I think it’s important to assume that every game company is now using AI. But if everyone is working with the same or similar technologies, the real question becomes: how do you survive? I believe it’s important to choose a strategy that increases your competitiveness.
AI has definitely improved efficiency in both game production and live service operations.
Using AI allows Embark Studios to bring this game to the market and float it with updates that are delivered faster and more cost-effectively. The team also uses machine learning algorithms to encourage dynamic animations of the game’s ARC enemies, but it’s the AI voices that most people have issues with, as it walks a blurry line that many are reluctant to accept as becoming the de facto standard.
Do you think there’s anything to be concerned about regarding Embark Studios’ reliance on AI for voice lines? Let me know on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Epic is changing Fortnite’s revival system
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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