Cyberpunk 2077 used AI to replicate the voice of a deceased voice actor

CD Projekt RED received permission from the late voice actor's family.

CD Projekt RED
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Cyberpunk 2077 has managed to complete a full redemption arc with the release of its massive 2.0 update and Phantom Liberty DLC, addressing the game’s myriad flaws and launch issues while expanding the content offering. This new batch of content also included additional voice work from the game’s cast, including an actor who is no longer with us. CD Projekt RED used AI to recreate the voice of Miłogost Reczek for its new Cyberpunk 2077 after consulting the late actor’s family.

The news comes from Bloomberg’s Jason Schrier, who received an official statement from CD Projekt RED on the matter. “We didn’t like this approach,” CD Projekt localization director Mikołaj Szwed said in a statement provided to the outlet. He went on to say that Reczek “was one of the best Polish voice talents” and his performance in the game “was stellar.”

Viktor Vektor looking down at the camera.

Source: CD Projekt RED

Reczek passed away in 2021, shortly after the release of Cyberpunk 2077 in December 2020. The Polish voice actor played the role of Viktor Vektor in the sci-fi RPG. The report states that CD Projekt RED considered bringing in a new voice actor to completely replace Reczek in the game and provide the newly added dialogue in Phantom Liberty, but ultimately decided against it. Instead, the studio spoke with Reczek’s sons, who were “very supportive.”

It’s unclear if Reczek’s family received compensation for the AI recreation of their loved one’s voice. It’s a fascinating wrinkle in the conversation around the use of artificial intelligence in film and games. As artificial intelligence continues to be utilized in tech and gaming, we’ll continue to cover the most significant stories.

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 12, 2023 4:40 PM

    Donovan Erskine posted a new article, Cyberpunk 2077 used AI to replicate the voice of a deceased voice actor

    • reply
      October 12, 2023 4:45 PM

      Is it wrong to call this "AI"? It's a digital likeness of someone's voice. It's an audio track. What's intelligent about it? A human punched in what sounds needed to be said

      • reply
        October 12, 2023 4:48 PM

        It is AI or more specifically machine learning which will be used to recreate the voice based on a finite number of samples.

      • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        October 12, 2023 6:11 PM

        What do you mean a human "punched it in"?

    • reply
      October 12, 2023 6:10 PM

      Well, it worked for me. Didn't think anything about Viktor's voice, thought Misty sounded weird (in the PL specific game end) .

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