Mind-Blowing: Cyberpunk 2077 Brings Deceased Actor Back to Life Using Revolutionary AI Technology!

Highlights

CD Projekt Red used AI to recreate the voice of the late actor Milogost Reczek in Cyberpunk 2077's Phantom Liberty DLC.

The studio recruited a new voice actor to deliver fresh lines for Viktor Vektor, which were subsequently enhanced using an AI-based voice synthesizer to resemble Reczek's voice.

The integration of AI technology in voice acting has provoked varying responses, yet the Cyberpunk 2077 fanbase has expressed no concerns regarding Viktor's voice assisted by AI.

CD Projekt Red utilized artificial intelligence to reimagine Milogost Reczek's voice in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Reczek, renowned for his work as the Polish voice actor for Viktor Vektor in Cyberpunk 2077, had a notable career as a versatile dub actor, tackling roles as diverse as Homer Simpson in The Simpsons Movie and Galion in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Collaborating frequently with video game developers, Reczek had previously lent his voice talents to various characters in CDPR's The Witcher trilogy, including Thaler and Vesemir.

Following a prolonged battle with cancer, Reczek passed away in late 2021, at the age of 60. This presented CDPR with a choice regarding the character Viktor in the Polish version of Phantom Liberty, which was already in active development at that time. The decision was whether to recast Viktor and subsequently replace his lines from the base game. Ultimately, the studio decided not to pursue this option, as they obtained consent from the late actor's family to utilize AI technology in recreating his voice. In order to achieve this, CDPR hired another voice actor to deliver Viktor's new lines in Phantom Liberty. These recordings were then processed with an AI-powered voice synthesizer to replicate Reczek's distinctive voice, as revealed by CDPR Localization Director Mikolaj Szwed in an interview with Bloomberg.

Several renowned voice actors have strongly opposed AI, asserting that it cannot effectively replace human performers. CDPR's approach to AI implementation in voice acting aligns with this view, as the studio first compensated a human performer to deliver Viktor's lines for Phantom Liberty before modifying them with Respeecher, a voice cloning software.

Disney recently employed the same program to recreate the voice of a youthful Luke Skywalker, portrayed by Mark Hamill, for The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. However, this use of Respeecher faced backlash from Star Wars fans who criticized the synthesized voice as lacking depth and breaking immersion. The Book of Boba Fett, which prominently featured Respeecher in its portrayal of young Luke Skywalker, was particularly targeted by this criticism.

The Cyberpunk 2077 fanbase, in contrast, has not raised any concerns about Viktor's AI-assisted voice in the Polish version of Phantom Liberty. CDPR also stated that Reczek's sons were fully on board with the decision to recreate the late actor's voice using artificial intelligence, describing them as "very supportive." However, it remains unclear whether Reczek's estate received compensation for granting permission to the developer.

Cyberpunk 2077 can be played on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, while the Phantom Liberty DLC is exclusive to PC and the latest generation of consoles.

Source: Bloomberg