The Finals developer Embark Studios has responded to criticism from voice actors and developers after it was slammed for using AI voice overs in its hit shooter.
Having to hire a real human being to represent a made-up character is an obstacle. “Games without actors” are how game development worked for decades. Even long after voice acting was technically possible, a lot of games did not have any, as a design decision. PS1 Final Fantasy games have oodles of full-motion video - but the characters speak exclusively in text.
The expectation of voiced characters adds immense cost, time, and restraint on any game. That is going to change. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it, and any backlash will be short-lived. This fight is already over.
And for anyone worried about the art of acting - look into “style transfer.” The shape of a voice actor’s throat can become as irrelevant as the shape of a voice actor’s face. When any person can sound like any character, all that matters is the performance.
Yeah it is. Even if it’s not theirs.
Having to hire a real human being to represent a made-up character is an obstacle. “Games without actors” are how game development worked for decades. Even long after voice acting was technically possible, a lot of games did not have any, as a design decision. PS1 Final Fantasy games have oodles of full-motion video - but the characters speak exclusively in text.
The expectation of voiced characters adds immense cost, time, and restraint on any game. That is going to change. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it, and any backlash will be short-lived. This fight is already over.
And for anyone worried about the art of acting - look into “style transfer.” The shape of a voice actor’s throat can become as irrelevant as the shape of a voice actor’s face. When any person can sound like any character, all that matters is the performance.