Hellblade developer Ninja Theory has addressed concerns from voice actors and gamers alike, confirming that it will not use AI technology to replace video game voice acting.
For context, Recent reports Dive into the new AI technology of Altered AI. Altered AI is a company working to give game developers the ability to “create compelling and professional voice performances” without the need to cast human voice actors. They say what they want to say with the right inflection, and the technology creates the performance for in-game use.
Ninja Theory is listed as one of the developers making use of this tech from Altered AI in the report, with real human performance absent from the studio’s games, such as the upcoming Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. There was a concern that
However, the developers have confirmed that this is not the case, explaining how they actually use AI techniques. twitter.
“For the sake of simplicity, we use this AI technique for placeholder content only to help understand timing, placement, etc. in the early stages of development,” the developer wrote. “Then we work with real actors who bring our stories to life.”
No. For clarity, we only use this AI technique on placeholder content to help us understand timing, placement, etc. early in development. Then we collaborate with real actors who bring our stories to life. https://t.co/Nz9F1NXOGD
— Ninja Theory (@NinjaTheory) September 23, 2022
Automated voice acting is becoming more common in the entertainment industry. We chose to synthesize the voice of Luke Skywalker.
However, it is unclear how much impact this AI technology will have on the video game voice acting industry. According to reports, some actors are concerned that studios employing Altered AI will put them out of work and reduce the quality of their voice performances. Proponents of the technology, however, argue that it could lead to more jobs for actors. As an example, one studio reportedly planned to do no in-game voice acting at all until it chose to use AI.
Regardless of Altered AI’s future implications, we do know that there are human voice actors behind Hellblade 2’s performances when it comes to Xbox Series X|S. You can check out six minutes of Hellblade 2 gameplay from last year’s Game Awards.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over 6 years of experience in the games industry and has bylines for IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
