🔗 Share this article

According to recent disclosures from Embark Studios, Arc Raiders appears to employ artificial intelligence technology for generating some dialogue. This development closely resembles the issue that emerged around the developer's earlier release, The Finals.

Release Details

Debuted on October 30th for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X, Arc Raiders is positioned as a easier introduction to the loot-and-extract genre. Unlike more hardcore titles like Escape from Tarkov, it aims to offer a user-friendly experience. This release has largely been strong ratings, maintaining a "very positive" rating on the popular platform based on over 8,000 player reviews.

Development Approach

On the title's dedicated Steam page, a notice regarding "AI Generated Content" invites parallels: Throughout creation, we might apply automated and generative systems to assist with asset production. In all cases, the end product reflects the creativity and vision of our creative personnel."

Past Issue

The Finals, a popular online combat game recognized for its responsive controls and dynamic battlefields, faced criticism for its implementation of artificial intelligence even before its public debut. During its October 2023 open beta, the game's audio designer revealed in a audio program that the development team had employed artificial intelligence systems for creating vocal tracks. This revelation generated instant negative reaction from industry talent and industry professionals, who claimed that AI-generated voices were of inferior standard compared to human performances and that such methods could displace performance opportunities.

Developer Response

Addressing concerns, the development team clarified that they had contracted experienced talent to create initial voice lines for The Finals, but supplemented these with text-to-speech tools to generate additional lines inspired by those original recordings. The company's explanation highlighted the significant time savings achieved through this method.

Latest Developments

Concerning Arc Raiders, the game's design director commented that the game does not employ artificial intelligence creation in any form," though he did not provide details on the precise meaning of the store notice. He did acknowledge, however, that the identical voice system employed in The Finals was also incorporated in Arc Raiders.

"We use a mix of recorded voice audio and material produced using TTS tools in our releases, based on the situation," commented a studio representative. "Sometimes, recording real scenes where performers collaborate — allowing character chemistry and drama to define the final product — is something that adds depth to our virtual environments that AI cannot replicate. Other times, particularly if it relates to real-time combat communications, TTS allows us to have customized dialogue where we could not for example due to development pace."

Community Response

Initial response to the incorporation of generative tools in Arc Raiders has been fairly varied, notably in the initial period. Some players have expressed strong opposition.

• Synthetic speech represents a stain on an otherwise incredible title," wrote one player in a community thread.
• I dislike that they did it for The Finals and am sad to hear they employed it once more for this release," responded another.
• "It was quickly detectable in the speech content for one protagonist," observed a another gamer.

That said, some users have expressed a more tolerant attitude.

• It doesn't bother me, they hired talent and implemented it effectively," wrote one online participant.
• "This is as ethical as it currently exists, sadly," concluded another.

The continuing controversy about technology adoption in video game production seems likely to continue as developers weigh production speed with performance standards and responsible practices.