After Arc Raiders AI voice actor controversy, owner Nexon says people should just assume "every game company is now using AI"

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Embark Studios Embraces AI TTS in Arc Raiders, CEO and Co-Founder Highlight Human Creativity

AI is increasingly becoming a staple in game development, and Embark Studios, developer of the new shooter Arc Raiders, openly admits to using AI text-to-speech (TTS) for dialogue. While some fans have voiced concerns about the approach, publisher Nexon appears unfazed.

According to a translation by Automaton of a recent interview with Game*Spark in Japanese, Nexon CEO Junghun Lee believes it’s essential to assume “every game company is now using AI.” He emphasizes that AI tools alone are insufficient without human ingenuity.

"If everyone is working with the same or similar technologies, the real question becomes: how do you survive?" Lee said. "I believe it's important to choose a strategy that increases your competitiveness," adding that he personally prioritizes human creativity.

Blending AI and Human Voice Acting

Stefan Strandberg, co-founder of Embark Studios, echoed this sentiment in an interview with GamesRadar+, describing TTS as a “studio strategy”. He stressed that the studio does not aim to replace human actors.

"There's something fantastical that happens when you bring real actors in, and they are contributing to the lore, as well, of this game world," Strandberg explained. Arc Raiders, much like Embark's previous free-to-play shooter The Finals, uses a blend of AI TTS and human voice recordings to deliver dialogue.

"There's no end goal in replacing any actors," he added.

Fan Reception and Player Engagement

Despite some fan controversy, Arc Raiders has experienced remarkable engagement, reportedly reaching a peak of 700,000 concurrent players across all platforms. The combination of AI and human voice work appears to be a core part of Embark's approach to creating immersive, scalable dialogue while maintaining narrative depth.

References

  1. Game*Spark, Interview with Junghun Lee, 2025 (translated by Automaton).

  2. GamesRadar+, Interview with Stefan Strandberg, 2025.

  3. Embark Studios press releases and player statistics, 2025.


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