Developer of Finals, Embark Studios, responded to criticism about using AI-generated voices in their free-to-play shooter by saying that it does not intend to make games without voice actors, according to IGN.
After Embark released the open beta for The Finals, players had to wait in line for a spot because it was so well received. However, voice actors and fans criticized the studio for using overt artificial intelligence (AI) in their voices.
The statement made by Embark to IGN stated that “making games without actors isn’t an end goal.” Further elaborating on the studio’s process, a representative said: “We use both recorded voice and TTS tool-generated audio in our games, depending on the scenario.
Technology can’t always match the depth that real-life scene recording adds to our virtual worlds because it lets character chemistry and conflict dictate how actors interact. Other times, TTS makes it possible for us to have customized voice over in situations where we otherwise couldn’t, like when it comes to call-outs for contextual in-game action, for example, because of how quickly it can be implemented.”
Voice actor Gianni Matragrano shared a sample from Embark’s Meet The Makers dev podcast, corroborating Embark’s earlier assertion that artificial intelligence (AI) is used for the majority of The Finals’ voiceovers. AI voices are used in the game “with a few exceptions,” according to one of the audio designers, who in the video went by only Andreas. He enumerates the exclusions as sounds like breathing or grunting that the AI can’t yet mimic.
All text-to-speech voice instances in The Finals are “always based on real voices,” according to a statement from Embark on the matter. Professional voice actors and placeholder work from Embark employees combined to create the voices in the open beta. “Making games without actors isn’t an end goal for Embark and TTS technology has introduced new ways for us to work together,” the conclusion of the statement.
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) voices in video games is currently up for discussion. In the current negotiations between the actor’s union SAG-AFTRA and several major industry players on behalf of its voice actors and mocap performers, artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the hot topics of discussion.