Entertainment · Gaming · 57 mins ago
CD Projekt uses AI to adjust Geralt's Polish voice for a new expansion
CD Projekt is using AI to adjust Jacek Rozenek's voice for Geralt in the upcoming Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past.
Rozenek has voiced Geralt in the Polish versions of the Witcher games, and he is recording the new lines himself.
A stroke in 2019 changed his voice, and recording lines for a 2021 game update left him exhausted.
For the expansion, the studio wants his voice to sound closer to the one players heard in the original game, set about a decade earlier.
Rozenek gave permission for the adjustment and said he trusts the game's creators.
The work is being done with AI voice company Respeecher, which says it took many hours to address the challenge of matching his emotional range.
The case highlights concerns about AI in voice acting, an issue CD Projekt says it takes seriously; the studio said it does not plan to use the same approach for English-language Geralt actor Doug Cockle.
CD Projekt used AI to adjust Jacek Rozenek’s Polish voice for Geralt in the upcoming The Witcher 3 expansion Songs of the Past.
Rozenek gave permission for the change, which aims to make his voice sound closer to how it did about 12 years ago.
A stroke in 2019 left his voice noticeably changed.
Rozenek still provides Geralt’s voice in the Polish version of the expansion, while Respeecher is adjusting it.
CD Projekt said the case was exceptional and that it is not planning similar work on Doug Cockle’s English-language Geralt voice.
- Who
- CD Projekt worked with AI company Respeecher and Polish actor Jacek Rozenek, who voices Geralt in the Polish version.
- What
- AI is being used to adjust Rozenek’s voice for the upcoming Songs of the Past expansion for The Witcher 3.
- When
- The expansion is upcoming; a release date is not stated.
- Where
- The adjustment is for the Polish version of the expansion.
- Why
- Rozenek’s voice changed after a stroke, and CD Projekt wanted it to sound consistent with the game’s earlier timeline.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Jacek Rozenek suffered a stroke that left him temporarily unable to speak.
Rozenek had rehabilitated enough to record new lines for The Witcher 3’s next-gen update, a process that left him exhausted.
CD Projekt sought Rozenek’s return as Geralt and worked with Respeecher to adjust his voice with his permission.
- Actor
- Jacek Rozenek
- AI company
- Respeecher
- Game expansion
- Songs of the Past
- Stroke
- Rozenek suffered a stroke in 2019
- Voice target
- Make his voice sound closer to how it did 12 years ago
2 sources
What people are saying
The point is that this voice should be as close as possible to my voice from 12 years ago
The brief was simple: make Jacek’s voice sound alive, rich and young, like in the original game
as a person working with voice actors over all the regions in the world, this is a big concern
this was a special case