TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Embark is not ending its use of generative AI, which it sees "first and foremost as a production tool."
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Arc Raiders has proven to be a big hit and showed that the extraction shooter had legs for a more casual crowd, but like The Finals before it, it's drawn negative attention for its use of AI voices.
In a new interview, Embark CEO and Nexon executive chairman Patrick Söderlund told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio has begun to phase out "a lot" of the AI-generated voice work in Arc Raiders.
"We re-recorded some of the lines post-launch and made them with real voices … There is a quality difference," Söderlund said. "A real professional actor is better than AI; that's just how it is."
Though Arc Raiders now has fewer AI voice lines than it did at release, the studio isn't phasing out its use of AI. Söderlund reaffirmed a sentiment he's shared before: that AI is enough of a timesaver to keep around.
"We look at [AI] first and foremost as a production tool," he said. "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."
AI isn't only concerning for creative reasons—its environmental and economic impacts contribute to a broad suite of ethical worries. While it seems like Söderlund appreciates that AI voice work can't match the real thing, if you've been dodging Arc Raiders due to its use of the technology, these re-recordings don't seem to signal a larger sea change at Embark.
2026 games: All the upcoming gamesBest PC games: Our all-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest RPGs: Grand adventuresBest co-op games: Better together
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time wit...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
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From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
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Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
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Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
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Once a month
SFX
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Arc Raiders has proven to be a big hit and showed that the extraction shooter had legs for a more casual crowd, but like The Finals before it, it's drawn negative attention for its use of AI voices.
In a new interview, Embark CEO and Nexon executive chairman Patrick Söderlund told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio has begun to phase out "a lot" of the AI-generated voice work in Arc Raiders.
"We re-recorded some of the lines post-launch and made them with real voices … There is a quality difference," Söderlund said. "A real professional actor is better than AI; that's just how it is."
Though Arc Raiders now has fewer AI voice lines than it did at release, the studio isn't phasing out its use of AI. Söderlund reaffirmed a sentiment he's shared before: that AI is enough of a timesaver to keep around.
"We look at [AI] first and foremost as a production tool," he said. "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."
AI isn't only concerning for creative reasons—its environmental and economic impacts contribute to a broad suite of ethical worries. While it seems like Söderlund appreciates that AI voice work can't match the real thing, if you've been dodging Arc Raiders due to its use of the technology, these re-recordings don't seem to signal a larger sea change at Embark.
2026 games: All the upcoming gamesBest PC games: Our all-time favoritesFree PC games: Freebie festBest FPS games: Finest gunplayBest RPGs: Grand adventuresBest co-op games: Better together
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time wit...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?