Cyberpunk 2077 Devs Used AI To Replace Deceased Voice Actor For the DLC

As per a recent report by Bloomberg, CD Projekt Red has used AI to replace the deceased voice actor Milogost Reczek for the new Cyberpunk 2077 DLC. The voice actor has worked in various fields of the entertainment media, including a few games. His recent chronicles included the amazing performance as the game’s influential character, Viktor Vektor, arguably the Night City’s greatest Ripperdoc.

Vik also makes an appearance in the latest Phantom Liberty DLC. CD Projekt Red initially planned to replace the VA in the DLC entirely and rerecord the lines for the base game. However, the family of the VA permitted the studio to bring his voice back using AI. He passed away in December 2021, aged 60.

We didn’t like this approach, [as Milogost] was one of the best Polish voice talents [and his work] was stellar,” said CD Projekt localization director Mikolaj Szwed.

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To use AI, CD Projekt Red had to hire a VA who recorded new lines for the Ripperdoc. The performance was then passed through the voice cloning software Respeecher to make the dialogue sound like the deceased Polish voice actor. It was also evidently done to pay tribute to him. Milogost Reczek has previously voiced Vesemir and Thaler in The Witcher titles and performed the Polish dub for Homer Simpson in The Simpsons Movie.

This way we could keep his performance in the game and pay tribute to his wonderful performance as Viktor Vektor,” said Mikolaj.

Besides Cyberpunk 2077 devs, some other gaming studios have started making strides in the field despite the possible backlash from gamers. For instance, Bungie recently hired employees to work on its generative AI milestones. The rumors suggest that the devs may use GenAI for its live service titles like Destiny 2.

SAG-AFTRA has started fighting the growing use of GenAI tech in the gaming industry because it possibly threatens the jobs of some devs. As the report suggests, the devs ensured to take care of all the ethical matters behind the curtains, like reaching out to the family and getting consent.

The Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty DLC was released on Sep 26, 2023, with a shiny area and a hearty storyline to experience. It can be a little overwhelming to delve into the impressive expansion for both old and new players due to the huge overhauls in the 2.0 update. We suggest reading through the best Legendary Weapons locations and scouring through the top 10 best builds guides before exploring the Night City.