Arc Raiders Developer Reiterates Support for AI Integration

Arc Raiders emerged as one of the standout titles of 2025, but it faced some backlash regarding its use of AI-driven text-to-speech technology. Patrick Söderlund, the head of the studio behind Arc Raiders, has clarified the studio’s intentions, emphasizing that their aim in integrating AI into development is to enhance game quality and efficiency. He countered concerns that AI would lead to job losses at Embark, stating, “We don’t use AI to avoid hiring or to replace people, including voice actors. It’s important for people to understand how AI can significantly assist developers and benefit players. I know this is a complex topic.”

For Arc Raiders, the studio employed voice actors to record lines, which were then processed through a generative text-to-speech system. This allowed characters to speak in the actors’ voices while adapting to various in-game scenarios without requiring the actors to return for additional recordings. The use of such technology wasn’t entirely unexpected, as Embark’s previous title, The Finals, also utilized a similar text-to-speech approach. However, Arc Raiders achieved far greater success, leading one voice actor to urge Embark to bring actors back for traditional recording sessions. “If you’re going to skip recording lines and just manipulate someone’s voice with AI, that’s a problem,” actor Neil Newbon remarked.

Shams Jorjani, CEO of Arrowhead, encouraged a more nuanced view of the situation. He noted that people often jump to extreme conclusions, but in the case of Arc Raiders’ AI implementation, he described it as “a very interesting use case that actually enhances gaming.” Embark has consistently defended its decision to use AI, asserting that “making games without actors isn’t the goal,” and that combining recorded audio with AI-generated content simply streamlines the development process.

Launched between major titles like Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Arc Raiders debuted at $40 and quickly gained traction. It has maintained its popularity, remaining a fixture in Steam’s most-played charts months post-launch. Notably, its peak concurrent player count reached 466,372, just shy of its all-time high of 481,966 on Steam.