The developers of The Finals, Embark Studios, have stated that they are using both recorded audio and AI text-to-speech generated audio for the voice acting of their new free-to-play competitive team-based FPS.
As reported by IGN, this occurred in response to criticism received by the studio from voice actors and developers regarding the use of said technology in a video game.
In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for Embark explained: "Sometimes, recording real scenes where actors come together, allowing character chemistry and conflict to shape the result, is something that adds depth to our game worlds and that technology cannot emulate. Other times, especially when it comes to contextual callbacks to in-game action, TTS allows us to have custom voiceovers where we otherwise wouldn’t, for example, due to implementation speed."
There are still intrinsic limits to this new technology: laboured breathing and grunts, typical of first-person shooters, cannot yet be generated by AI, so the team has opted to produce them “in-house,” recording them from the developers themselves rather than professional voice actors. "In cases where we use TTS in The Finals, it is always based on real voices," the spokesperson said. "In the open beta, it relies on a mix of professional voice actors and temporary voices from Embark employees. Creating games without actors is not Embark’s final goal, and TTS technology has introduced new ways to collaborate together."
Reviews are coming at a time when the use of AI within creative products is extremely controversial. Not long ago, voice actors harshly criticized the development of mod NSFW for Skyrim, in which their voices were used by AI to recite phrases they had never spoken.
The developer's comments have also been criticised by Elsie Lovelock, who appears in Baldur's Gate 3, Wargroove and other titles. "The thing is, it still sounds bad, regardless of how realistic they think it is". stated the voice actress in a tweet.
And you, what do you think?
