Arc Raiders’ Latest Experiment Proves What Everyone Already Knows

There have been many problems with ARC Raiders since its initial launch, unfortunately devaluing the unique qualities of an enjoyable game. Alongside rampant cheating in multiplayer settings, this extraction shooter has often been criticized for how it has implemented AI into its design. Despite its praise, this aspect of the game has been a constant sour spot from even its staunchest defenders, at least until recent changes affected this controversy.

Even now as the Embark Studios development team behind ARC Raiders works to correct the larger cheating issues in the game’s PvP, the lack of updates hasn’t reduced its player count drastically. This extraction shooter is still alive and well for right now, even beating Bungie’s Marathon in terms of total players. However, one key change in the game’s core features might explain why it is feeling more polished, increasing its quality for players to enjoy it even more.

Arc Raiders Has Greatly Improved Audio Quality By Replacing AI Voices With Real Actors

ARC Raiders has long faced backlash for the use of generative AI voices for some of its characters, with text-to-speech lines being used when players would approach them in-game. These were quickly identified by players, and became a huge reason why some people swore off the game entirely, with questions about its artistic integrity being prevalent among those within different communities. While the gameplay was appealing, this part of the title has long been its biggest sour spot.

According to an interview with Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund with GameIndustry.biz, AI was simply a “production tool” rather than a fundamental part of ARC Raiders‘ construction. Despite the validity of this statement, Söderlund surprisingly said that the AI present in the game was being toned down, with real voice actor lines replacing the generative content. Following a recent update, Söderlund claims that Embark’s aim is to make sure the in-match ping system no longer mimics voice actor based off an AI model, but rather uses them directly.

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This meaningful update to ARC Raiders replaces the “efficient system” of AI in favor of audio that sounds much better for players. The stale nature of the AI voice lines always threw off the immersion of the game itself, so this is a positive change all around. Through more quotes by Söderlund, voice actors were paid for this overhaul along with the rates they were paid to train the text-to-speech program, which was meant to use their voices through a licensing deal that included additional payments.

Embark Studios Claims AI Is Only A Production Tool In Their Game Development

The “production tool” of AI at Embark has a vague description, as it’s impossible to tell how deeply it is used in various aspects of ARC Raiders‘ design. Unfortunately, the existence of the AI voices was so blatant that other systems of the game could easily be using generative content as well. For the most part, fans have to take Embark at their word when they deny or accept the role AI has in some parts of their game design process.

To Söderlund’s credit, he has claimed that “very little of it is AI” when referring to the landscapes and backgrounds present in ARC Raiders. Yet, this implies that AI present in those fields are not zero, which many fans would prefer. According to Söderlund, AI is mainly for “re-configuring what I believe are old ways of working,” trying to make toolsets, pipelines, and problems with gaming engines easier. This line of thought is worrisome, as it encourages gen-AI that tends to cause problems more than it finds solutions.

Generative Text-To-Speech Models Have Never Been Replacements For Professional Voice Work

The replacements of AI within ARC Raiders have gone extremely well, as Söderlund states further in the interview. “There’s a quality difference” and “a real professional actor is better than AI; that’s just how it is” are additional statements by Söderlund that prove an otherwise known fact. No matter how accurate gen-AI is to sounding like a real person, it can never match the real thing.

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Real voices are able to test lines, experiment with inflections of tone, and provide more to voice work that AI ever can. Gen-AI is often restrictive and stale by comparison, a fact that many players and fans were keen to point out when Embark Studios defended its use of AI after its release. In many ways, Söderlund’s realization of voice actor quality is slightly frustrating, as it highlights a too common disconnect between companies using AI as an excuse to cut corners for various media.

With competition against Marathon going on, the inclusion of better voice work helps Embark’s extraction shooter stand out in better ways. That being said, the use of gen-AI voices through text-to-speech programs should have never existed in ARC Raiders to begin with, alienating a potential audience who knew the right solution before Embark’s leadership ever did.

What do you think of Embark’s choice to use real voices in ARC Raiders over gen-AI? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!