CD Projekt and Nintendo say „no” to artificial intelligence, but the CEO of ARC Raiders publisher seems sure: „Every company uses AI”

On October 30, ARC Raiders was released. The title was a big hit, but there were a few bumps along the way. One of the issues is the controversy surrounding the use of AI-generated voices in the game.

The issue got so much attention that Junghun Lee, the CEO of Nexon, the company publishing the game, had to step in and address it. He stated that the company has nothing to be ashamed of because, according to him, everyone in the industry uses AI.

Ethical AI or a clever ploy? Controversies around the voices in ARC Raiders

This declaration might be seen as bold, but the issue is that the game's creators initially didn't have this courage.

1. Some time ago, the lead designer, Virgil Watkins, assured that there was nothing in the game that was generated by AI, stating only that machine learning was used to design the movement of large robots. One of the studio presidents, Stefan Strandberg, said something similar.
2. However, a bit later, the ARC Raiders page on Steam mentioned that AI was used to create various elements of the game. Here, the devs had no choice because Steam's rules require the disclosure of such facts.
3. It was later revealed that the title also uses AI-generated voices. This shouldn't be a surprise, as it was exactly the same in the case of The Finals. However, it should be noted that the way it was done is different than usual. Instead of using AI to completely replace actors, Embark Studio hired them for recording sessions and paid them to create AI models that mimic their voices. The devs explain that this is particularly useful in a game-as-a-service, as such projects are continuously developed, and this way, there's no need to record new lines every time.
4. However, the creators didn't work together with actors who are members of the SAG-AFTRA union. This is a big deal because this group managed to strike a deal with publishers like Activision, EA, and Take-Two about using AI. Basically, even if an actor agrees to have their voice cloned, they still get paid for any new lines generated, just like they would if they recorded them in person. There is no indication that Nexon and Embark Studios have shown similar generosity.

From what the creators said, it seems like they were trying to pull a bit of a rhetorical trick. Their AI models and tools are created based on data they developed themselves or for which they paid.

Thus, there's no issue here like with most AI models that were developed using databases without their creators' permission. That's pretty commendable on its own, but it doesn't change the fact that it's still generative AI and doesn't really address worries about job losses.

Tim Sweeney vs. Eurogamer

The topic of AI voices was addressed in a much-discussed review by Eurogamer, where the creators faced significant criticism for it, leading to ARC Raiders receiving a very low score (2/5 stars).

This didn't sit well with the head of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, who stated that "political opinions" shouldn't be part of reviews. This didn't receive much understanding, as all reviews are simply records of their authors' opinions, and it is unclear where Sweeney perceives politics in this text.

Therefore, the CEO later added that technological development leads to improved efficiency, and market competition will result in AI making better games rather than employing fewer developers. It's a beautiful idea and probably everyone would love to see it happen, but it's hard to believe it will, especially with all the recent chaos in the gaming industry and tech world in general. Artificial intelligence is currently being used mainly to justify large layoffs. It also cannot be denied that the quality of AI voices doesn't yet match real ones, so Sweeney's argument about "creating better games" is, at least for now, off the mark.

The whole situation shows how much emotion is tied to this topic. The savings from using AI are undeniable, so it's pretty clear that more and more companies will be jumping on board with these solutions in the future. Both sides of the argument will let their own interests mess with their ability to stay neutral. Executives have an interest in reducing costs, even at the expense of quality, while developers who worry about their jobs are unlikely to appreciate the benefits of increased productivity.

Nonetheless, the statements made by the CEO of Nexon should be regarded as nonsensical, since the gaming industry is so expansive and varied that there will certainly be developers who choose not to use AI. It's enough to mention the assurances from CD Projekt Red in the context of The Witcher 4 or Nintendo (although in both cases, devs note that this is the current state, and it may change in the future). The same thing is happening in the film and TV industry, where some productions, like Pluribus, proudly claim they didn't use any AI in their making.

1. ARC Raiders on Steam

ARC Raiders

October 30, 2025

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• Overview

• Nexon
• AI / Artificial Intelligence
• Tim Sweeney
• Embark Studios