Update: this article updates CD Projekt Red uses AI on Geralt's voice in The Witcher 3 after the actor's stroke with two new details: the English version, with Doug Cockle, does not receive the same treatment, and the original 2014 recordings total about 10,000 lines.
CD Projekt Red confirmed the use of artificial intelligence to adjust the voice of Polish actor Jacek Rozenek, who plays Geralt of Rivia, in the Songs of the Past expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
What happened
Rozenek suffered a stroke in 2019 that left him temporarily unable to speak. After intensive rehabilitation, he returned for some lines in the 2022 next-gen update, but described the sessions as exhausting. For the 2027 expansion, set in the same period as the base game, the post-stroke lower and gruffer voice would create inconsistency with the original roughly 10,000 lines recorded in 2014.
With the actor's consent, CDPR turned to the Ukrainian company Respeecher. Rozenek recorded all new lines normally; the AI, trained on the old lines, adjusted the timbre to bring it closer to the original performance. Localization director Mikołaj Szwed described it as a special case and an example of ethical use with consent.
Why it matters
The episode illustrates a targeted use of generative AI in game dubbing, with the actor still performing and authorizing the adjustment, in contrast to broader debates about voice replacement. CDPR had previously worked with Respeecher on Cyberpunk 2077 after an actor's death. The English version, with Doug Cockle, does not receive the same treatment.
Sources
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