xQc blames “AI controversy” for Arc Raiders snub at The Game Awards

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Popular streamer xQc believes that the use of AI-generated voices in the game Arc Raiders is the reason it wasn’t nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025.

The Game Awards have announced their nominations for the best games of the past year, and as usual, people online are debating the choices. This year, the biggest controversy is that Arc Raiders wasn’t nominated for Game of the Year, with streamer Shroud even calling the awards unfair.

Embark Studios’ new extraction shooter is receiving high praise and was nominated for Best Multiplayer Game. However, it wasn’t selected as a finalist for Game of the Year, with titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Donkey Kong: Bananza, and Death Stranding 2 taking those spots.

Many viewers were confused, but popular streamer xQc recently shared his thoughts on why the game didn’t succeed.

xQc thinks use of AI caused Arc Raiders to miss out on GOTY

On November 19th, he suggested on X (formerly Twitter) that the game Arc Raiders might have been overlooked for Game of the Year awards because it uses AI technology.

He believes The Game Awards are avoiding controversy surrounding the game Arc Raiders – specifically, concerns about its use of AI – by not nominating it. However, he argues this decision is actually upsetting viewers who value the show’s fairness and honesty.

As a fan, it feels like The Game Awards are steering clear of nominating ARCRaidersGame because of all the talk about its AI use, probably to avoid upsetting some viewers. But honestly, it’s backfiring – those of us who want the awards to be fair and honest are really disappointed. And seriously, how did IShowSpeed not get a nomination? That feels like a huge oversight!

— xQc (@xQc) November 19, 2025

When another user asked why Arc Raiders would be nominated at all if it were true, he added:

I think it’s clear this is intentional. They’re categorizing things in a way that minimizes backlash, while ignoring the game’s successes in other areas. It’s not about Arc specifically not being nominated; it’s about recognizing this consistent pattern of behavior.

That’s basically why I believe this is intentional. They’ve categorized it in a way that minimizes backlash, while ignoring the game’s accomplishments in other areas. It’s not about a specific nomination being overlooked; it’s about the clear pattern of this behavior.

— xQc (@xQc) November 19, 2025

If you haven’t heard, Arc Raiders from Embark Studios uses AI in a couple of interesting ways. First, it employs machine learning so the robot enemies can adapt to how players move and react accordingly.

Another, and more debated, approach involves using text-to-speech (TTS) to generate voice lines, relying on recordings from actual voice actors. Stefan Strandberg, Chief Creative Officer at Embark Studios, explained their reasoning in an interview with Eurogamer, stating:

We’re using text-to-speech technology to expand the game in certain areas – especially where there’s a lot of repetitive dialogue. This lets us add content without relying on voice actors for tasks they might not find creatively fulfilling. However, the game itself doesn’t use any AI that creates new voices or dialogue.

However, this has been a major complaint about the game since it came out. It’s unclear if this issue contributed to Arc Raiders not being nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards.

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2025-11-19 19:20