Innovative, thrilling, and a unique approach to the first-person shooter genre – all these words describe Embark Studios’ The Finals, which recently went viral. The free-to-play shooter offers the players unprecedented levels of verticality and heavy destructible environments. While genre fans laud it for its creativity, there’s discontent brewing among its players regarding its use of voice actors, or to be more specific, its decision not to use them.
To understand this sentiment, one must realize that this AI refers not to in-game enemies but to generative AI, which is a piece of technology that has taken various industries by storm. Embark Studios has harnessed AI for essentially all the voicework in The Finals, a decision they’ve openly discussed in podcasts. Their rationale? The technology is “far enough in terms of quality,” enabling them to churn out lines for new in-game content in hours, instead of the months it could take using traditional voice actors. Furthermore, they argue that any glitches in the voice actually play into the eccentric game show environment they’ve crafted.
However, this decision hasn’t been universally well-received. Upon learning of the AI involvement, players were quick to point out how the in-game announcers felt off. The cadence, breathing, and general quality of the AI-generated voices seem in stark contrast to the actual gameplay’s quality. Some consider this a glaring misstep in what could have been a seamless gaming experience.
So I guess The Finals is going with AI voices…? pic.twitter.com/PIAbR43ZrT
— Gianni Matragrano (@GetGianni) October 28, 2023
Voice actor Gianni Matragrano put this controversy into the spotlight when he shared clips from The Finals, highlighting the awkward pacing and the unnatural performances. Following up with a new clip from an Embark Studios podcast, he then confirmed that the game is indeed using AI voice acting. Andreas, one of the audio designers, stated that, outside of a few exceptions, most of the voices players hear, including those of contestants and commentators, are generated using AI text-to-speech. The exceptions include vocalizations, like player grunts, which they still record in-studio.
This revelation is stirring concerns beyond the game’s audio quality. Many are expressing concerns about the potential implications for the voice acting industry. The potential job loss for voice actors if AI becomes the norm is a particular pain point.
The SAG-AFTRA strike, which partly centers on the growing use of AI performances, adds another layer to this debate. Many voice actors fear the replacement of their talents by AI-generated voices. With The Finals using such technology, this fear seems to be morphing into reality.
However, the narrative isn’t just one-sided. Some couldn’t cared any less about using AI-generated voices, especially for dynamic content like the randomly generated team names in The Finals. The repetitiveness of traditional announcers in other games and how AI could offer a more varied and adaptable solution. If anything, the voice acting in a game like The Finals isn’t a central element to gameplay – it’s background noise, making them more of an afterthought or filler than a selling point, unlike in story-driven games.
There’s the argument that the voice quality in The Finals wasn’t bad at all and the use of AI is unnoticeable. Is this due to the quality of the gameplay of The Finals? Or, the fact that the quality of the AI voice work is indistinguishable to the work of actual voice actors? Maybe it’s both. The truth is, we’ll never know.
The fact remains that AI voice work has its fair share of advantages and studios are wise to leverage it. AI voices offer a level of flexibility and responsiveness that might be challenging with traditional voice acting. Not to mention, they’re far more economical.
Embark Studios, despite facing backlash, appears firm on its decision. They highlight the quality improvements AI can offer, seeing it as a forward-thinking approach to game design. With AI’s expanding role in various industries, there’s an ongoing debate on its application in voice acting, which isn’t likely to settle soon.
As the technology evolves and as players and professionals navigate its implications, games like The Finals will remain at the epicenter of this significant industry transformation.
