Arc Raiders replaces AI voice lines with human actors after player backlash

Arc Raiders now has fewer AI voice lines: 'A real professional actor is better than AI'

When Arc Raiders launched last fall, it received plenty of praise. It was also dragged somewhat for its use of gen-AI voices, much like in The Finals, the previous game from developer Embark Studios. In a new interview with GameIndustry.biz, studio head Patrick Söderlund disclosed that Arc Raiders has fewer AI voice lines now while also describing AI as a "production tool" in development. "We re-recorded some of the lines post-launch and made them with real voices," Söderlund said. Certain lines for the in-match ping system were generated via an AI text-to-speech model based on voice actors hired for the game. Embark's rationale was that this system was more efficient than needing to bring back voice actors to the studio for each update to the live-service extraction shooter. To Söderlund, the difference between the AI lines and recordings from real voice actors is night and day. "There is a quality difference. A real professional actor is better than AI; that's just how it is." He described how Embark views AI "first and foremost as a production tool" that allows them to test different lines before deciding what to record. "It's also a way for us to work, not replace actors. We don't necessarily believe in replacing humans with AI all the time." He also addressed the idea that using AI voices was a way around paying fair wages for voice actors. "We pay our actors for all time spent with us in the booth and continue to bring many of them back as we carry on updating the game." For "select usage," Embark also pays voice actors to license their voices for Embark's text-to-speech program. The whole interview is a fascinating look behind the curtain of how games are made. Speaking on how landscapes were created for Arc Raiders, Söderlund said, "Very little of it is AI. A lot of it is reconfiguring what I believe are old ways of working -- old toolsets, old pipelines, old engines, and saying there must be a better way of doing this." Though Embark's use of AI in development may be waning, at least for those voice lines, the CEO of its publisher believes AI use is widespread in game development. Nexon CEO Junghun Lee also drew controversy last year by saying in an interview, "I think it's important to assume that every game company is now using AI." Other developers called "bullshit." No matter what, though, fervor around AI and how it can be used in game development isn't going anywhere. It was a major talking point at the Game Developers Conference this year, though nobody actually knows what to do with it.

Arc Raiders Replacing AI-Generated Voices With Human Actors

Arc Raiders was one of the biggest games of 2025, and it continues to be incredibly popular on Steam. But its use of AI-generated voice lines rubbed many the wrong way. Now, Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund says the team has replaced many of the text-to-speech lines with real human-recorded dialogue that is "better" than the AI slop featured at launch. When Embark's extraction shooter Arc Raiders launched in October on consoles and PC, it became one of the most-played games around and received rave reviews from critics and fans. Yet there was some tension around the game's release when it was revealed that many of the in-game voice lines heard when pinging a location were created using AI text-to-speech built using audio provided by actors who were paid a licensing fee. For some, this was not acceptable and marred the launch of Arc Raiders. The CEO of Nexon, the game's publisher, said all studios were using AI tools, and that's just the way it is. But Söderlund and his team seem to be reversing course a bit. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Söderlund explained "a lot" of the in-game voice lines in Arc Raiders are recorded by human actors and there are now fewer AI-generated lines in the game than there were when it launched last year. "We re-recorded some of the lines post-launch and made them with real voices," Söderlund told the outlet, clarifying that they don't want to "replace" real performers. "There is a quality difference. A real professional actor is better than AI; that's just how it is. We look at [AI] first and foremost as a production tool. We can test things internally. We can test 15 different lines without recording them, and then we know what to record. It's also a way for us to work, not replace actors. We don't necessarily believe in replacing humans with AI all the time." Söderlund also explained that the studio pays its actors for "all time spent" in the booth recording lines and that it continues to "bring many of them back as we carry on updating the game." And in some "select" situations, Embark pays actors for "approval to license their voices through text-to-speech" for audio lines that aren't as "essential to the immersion of the experience." This is mostly for location pings. The big takeaway here is that Söderlund seems to understand that AI-generated content is still not popular among players and is trying to reassure people that Arc Raiders has less of it than before. But it still contains and will likely continue to use text-to-speech voice lines, and for some players, that will remain a dealbreaker.

Embark CEO Says 'Some' Arc Raiders AI Voice Lines Were Re-Recorded by Humans Post-Launch: 'There Is a Quality Difference' - IGN

"We don't necessarily believe in replacing humans with AI all the time." Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund says Arc Raiders now contains fewer AI voice lines than it did at launch after the team re-recorded some lines with real actors. Söderlund offered an update on the studio's views regarding artificial intelligence during an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. Among various updates that have brought new enemies, cosmetics, locations, and more, he says the team has already replaced some of its heavily criticized AI content with performances from real human beings. "We re-recorded some of the lines post-launch and made them with real voices," Söderlund said. "There is a quality difference. A real professional actor is better than AI; that's just how it is. We look at [AI] first and foremost as a production tool. We can test things internally. We can test 15 different lines without recording them, and then we know what to record. It's also a way for us to work, not replace actors. We don't necessarily believe in replacing humans with AI all the time." Arc Raiders came out of 2025 not only as a massive success for Embark, but also as one of the breakout hits of the year. One stain on its ascent, however, revolves around how fans responded to the team's use of AI voices for many of its in-game characters. Even as complaints piled, publisher Nexon defended its use of the controversial technology, telling Game*Spark in November that players should "assume that every game company is now using AI." Although Söderlund assures that some AI content has already been re-recorded, it's currently unclear if there is any plan to eventually replace all AI material in question. He also wants fans to know that "a lot" of the voice lines in Arc Raiders were recorded by humans, adding that those who have contributed their voices to the game have been compensated for their work and time. "We pay our actors for all time spent with us in the booth and continue to bring many of them back as we carry on updating the game," he said. "For select usage, we also pay them for the approval to license their voices through text-to-speech for lines that aren't as essential to the immersion of the experience, mostly ping system audio." Arc Raiders launched for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S October 30, 2025. We gave it it a 9/10 in our review upon its release, saying at the time that it "sets a new standard for extraction shooters." It's unclear how many copies have been sold in the five months since its launch, but we do at least know it managed to pass 12.4 million copies sold in January and 14 million by February. We spoke with Söderlund about Arc Raiders' past, present, and future last month to learn more about how Embark brought its PvPvE vision to life. He also confirmed that reports of its $75 million budget were "ballpark" correct.