Cyberpunk 2077 Developer CD Projekt Used AI to Replace Deceased Voice Actor With Family’s Permission
Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt used AI to replace a deceased voice actor after gaining permission from the family.
Miłogost Reczek was a Polish voice actor best known as the Polish dub for Homer Simpson in The Simpsons Movie, as well as Vesemir and Thaler in The Witcher games and doctor Viktor Vektor in Cyberpunk 2077. He died in December 2021 aged 60.
Bloomberg reported Reczek’s family gave CD Projekt permission to recreate his voice using AI for the recently released expansion, Phantom Liberty. CD Projekt localization director Mikołaj Szwed is quoted as saying the developer didn’t want to find a replacement for the late actor and re-record his lines. “We didn’t like this approach,” Szwed explained, as Reczek “was one of the best Polish voice talents” and his performance “was stellar”.
CD Projekt instead hired a different voice actor who performed new lines for Vik, then used voice-cloning software Respeecher to change the dialogue so it sounded like Reczek. Szwed said: “This way we could keep his performance in the game and pay tribute to his wonderful performance as Viktor Vektor,” Szwed said.
The use of AI in video game development is one of the hottest topics in the industry, with voice actors in particular expressing concern about the future of their profession. Last month, members of Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) voted to authorise a strike as a part of the resumption of bargaining over the guild’s Interactive Media Agreement, which governs voice, motion capture, and other actors working in video games. While this doesn’t mean a strike is currently happening, it does mean that SAG-AFTRA negotiators have the power to call one if negotiations continue to
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