CD Projekt Red recently released Phantom Liberty, the only planned expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. The expansion used AI technology to replicate the voice of one of its characters.
The studio shared that it secured permission from the family to clone his voice for the expansion. Reczek voiced Doctor Viktor Vektor in a localized version of Cyberpunk 2077. The voice actor passed away in 2021 before he could reprise his role in the expansion.
The news that CD Projekt Red used AI to replicate Reczek’s voice first came out a month before Phantom Liberty was released. The news received widespread attention after the studio issued a statement to explain its decision to use AI. Localization director Mikołaj Szwed said that the studio considered re-recording the entire performance (including in the base game) with another actor. However, CD Projekt Red decided against it to avoid losing Reczek’s voice acting.
The studio instead used voice cloning technology from Kyiv-based startup Respeecher. “We contacted his family for permission to create an algorithm from Miłek’s voice that could then be used over the performance of another actor, who would record Viktor Vektor’s new voice lines,” Szwed shared. He also mentioned that new lines were recorded by Janusz Zadura, “who tried to emulate Miłek’s style of speaking.”
“Miłek’s sons were very supportive and gave us their permission to move forward with the project,” Szwed added.
The use of AI technology in video game development has been a controversial topic in recent months. There have been concerns raised by actors over the use of the technology based on fears that it could be used to replicate an actor’s performance and deprive them of future work. The SAG-AFTRA recently approved a strike for video game actors over the use of their digital likenesses.
There have been some high-profile examples of movies using AI to recreate the performance of a deceased actor. CGI was used in Star Wars: Rogue One to bring back Grand Moff Tarkin, played by Peter Crushing. Guy Henry provided the on-set capture and voice work while CGI and digitally repurposed archive footage were used to insert Crushing’s likeness over the face of Henry. Crushing died over twenty years before the filming of Rogue One.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker also turned to AI for a posthumous appearance for Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa. Her appearance in the movie was through the use of repurposed unreleased footage from previous films that have been digitally augmented.
Star Wars projects have also used Respeecher’s technology to recreate the voices of its characters. The technology was used to synthesize the voice of young Luke Skywalker for the season 2 finale of The Mandalorian. It was also used to recreate the voice of Darth Vader for Obi-Wan Kenobi with permission from James Earl Jones.
In April, CD Projekt Red’s Lead Quest Designer Pawel Sasko, spoke to IGN about the use of AI in video game development. Sasko believes that the industry sees it just as another tool in making video games.
“I really believe that AI, and AI tools, are going to be just the same as when Photoshop was invented,” Sasko explained. “You can see it throughout the history of animation. From drawing by hand to drawing on a computer, people had to adapt and use the tools, and I think AI is going to be exactly that. It’s just going to be another tool that we’ll use for productivity and game development.”
