Arc Raiders Sparks Debate Over AI Voice Acting In Games

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The CEO of Nexon, the company publishing the popular game Arc Raiders, has spoken out about the use of AI-generated voices in games. He says that AI tools are now commonplace in game development, with “every game company” utilizing them in some way.

Following a negative review from Eurogamer (scoring the game two out of five stars), Junghun Lee, the CEO, explained in an interview with Gamespark (as reported by Automaton) that AI has noticeably boosted efficiency in both making the game and running its ongoing services.

Lee believes all game companies are currently using AI. Since the technology is becoming widespread, the key to success isn’t having AI, but figuring out how to stand out from the competition and build a stronger, more competitive strategy.

Lee believes that human creativity is the key to turning a good game into an amazing one, especially in today’s competitive market. This idea echoes a point made by Embark Studios’ Stefan Strandberg, who told Eurogamer that even with AI helping to create content, there’s no easy path to making truly great games.

However, not everyone shares Lee and Strandberg’s views. Xavier Nelson Jr. of Strange Scaffold publicly criticized Lee’s statements on Bluesky, stating that many game studios – both large and small – aren’t using AI in their games. Tommy Thompson, from AI in Games, also disagreed, claiming on Bluesky that only a small number of studios are fully embracing AI. Developer Neil Jones, known for Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield, suggested on Bluesky that Lee’s comments imply job losses. Meanwhile, Adam Riches, a former animator at Chucklefish, expressed his disapproval of Lee’s remarks, accusing Nexon of prioritizing cost-cutting over quality.

Many people disagreed with Lee’s statement that all game companies are currently using AI. However, Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, defended him. Sweeney posted on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a Eurogamer review, arguing that reviews shouldn’t include personal political opinions. He made this point while replying to a user who questioned whether opposing AI could be considered a political stance.

According to Sweeney, this technology significantly boosts productivity in certain fields. Whether that’s a positive or negative development – and whether it should be encouraged or resisted – is a matter of debate, often falling along political lines. He argues that, countering a negative viewpoint, increased productivity actually leads to better games because developers compete to attract players, rather than simply reducing their workforce.

Many major game studios are actively exploring and investing in artificial intelligence. Electronic Arts encourages its employees to see AI as a collaborative tool, but also asks them to use their work to train it. Krafton plans to invest $70 million to make AI a central part of its business. Square Enix hopes to use AI to automate most of its game testing and bug fixing. Even Sony is planning to integrate AI into future games. Beyond these companies, numerous developers believe the gaming industry should adopt AI, suggesting those who don’t may fall behind.

The use of AI in Embark Studios’ games isn’t new, and has sparked debate again recently. Their previous game, the 2023 multiplayer shooter The Finals, already used AI to create speech, allowing the team to quickly generate voice lines – in hours instead of the months it usually takes. Embark Studios previously explained that they don’t aim to replace actors entirely, but rather use AI speech generation alongside recorded voices to speed up development.

Despite any discussions around it, Arc Raiders has been incredibly popular since it came out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 30th. It’s recently become even more popular than Helldivers 2, and is now one of the most-played games on Steam.

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2025-11-12 19:10