Arc Raiders Tops My Game of the Year List, Yet Its Generative AI Falls Short

The last couple of months spent with Arc Raiders have been some of the most exhilarating gaming experiences I’ve had all year. It offers a thrilling and unpredictable multiplayer environment reminiscent of my favorite game, Sea of Thieves, which I’ve cherished since 2018. My enthusiasm for Arc Raiders is undeniable, but it’s been tough to fully embrace that excitement in light of Embark Studio’s approach to generative AI. The studio revealed that the voice acting in Arc Raiders was initially recorded by human actors, who then helped train AI to replicate their voices for various scenarios. This means that whenever new content is added, the team doesn’t need to bring back the original voice actors. Instead, the AI mimics their voices, a practice the actors reportedly consented to when they were hired. This shouldn’t have come as a shock, considering Embark’s previous title, The Finals, employed a similar method. In a recent interview, the studio reassured players that all visual artwork is crafted by humans, but they did acknowledge using AI-generated voices for shop NPCs, emotes, and other character interactions. This revelation has left me torn about praising the game. On one hand, I can’t ignore how captivating Arc Raiders is. It’s an extraction shooter that thrives on emergent, player-driven drama, igniting a passion in me that few games have managed to do. Yet, I’ve already penned my review, which was overwhelmingly positive, but I feel compelled to address this concerning trend.

In recent weeks, similar practices have surfaced in several high-profile cases. Leaders from various studios have endorsed the use of AI, with some claiming it will revolutionize the gaming industry. Even notable figures, like Hideo Kojima, have admitted to utilizing it at times. This technology is being framed as not just beneficial but inevitable. But is it really? Most advocates seem to be executives and studio heads, who have a vested interest in the technology due to its potential to reduce costs and development time. However, much of what generative AI produces can be, frankly, problematic. We’ve seen that when used as a search engine, it often generates misleading or incorrect information. It’s essentially a sophisticated guessing machine, constructing sentences based on patterns from the data it’s been trained on. This has led to AI bots, like X’s Grok, spouting factually inaccurate or even harmful rhetoric. As a writing tool, generative AI has a notorious reputation for plagiarism, remixing existing works and presenting them as original content, often at a low price, which can mislead unsuspecting buyers.

AI-generated images and videos are becoming increasingly realistic, which some argue undermines the case against using this technology. Others claim they use AI-generated visuals merely as a starting point, allowing human artists to build upon the ideas generated. Executives, like Tim Sweeney from Epic, suggest that generative AI will become so commonplace that labeling systems, like those on Steam, will soon be irrelevant. There’s even ongoing debate about the environmental impact of this technology, complicating the ethical discussions surrounding it. When is it appropriate to use it? Ultimately, all these discussions fail to address the most crucial aspect tied to generative AI: our humanity matters.

Art is one of the greatest gifts we can offer as human beings. The depth of our creativity is unique to our existence, and I struggle to find a valid justification for using generative AI that overcomes this fundamental truth. That’s why the use of AI in Arc Raiders is so disappointing. A standout game of the year comes with a significant caveat. The voice actors deserved better, and their relinquishing of their likenesses only harms themselves and their peers, both now and in the future. It seems that generative AI improves the more it’s trained, but this raises ethical concerns, especially in cases like Arc Raiders, where it feels disheartening. While the AI voiceovers may improve over time, they can’t replace the genuine talent and emotional depth that human voice actors bring to their roles. Advocates for AI often overlook that the creative process itself is vital to the project, infusing it with life and perspective. Generative AI lacks this perspective; it operates based on prompts rather than genuine creativity.

This argument is challenging to convey to those casually interested in the technology. People who use ChatGPT for memes, cover letters, or health inquiries may not consider the broader human impact of relying on such tech. It’s difficult to articulate why our humanity is essential and how generative AI undermines it. This is an abstract argument that must resonate emotionally. However, there’s also a practical concern: the more we rely on generative AI, the more we train it to replace us as workers, creators, and individuals with a sense of belonging. As tech executives race to shape regulatory frameworks, we’re heading toward a future where a select few accumulate wealth while workers are displaced across industries. An economic reckoning is on the horizon, and feeding this beast contributes to that dystopia.

This issue extends far beyond Arc Raiders and the gaming world; it’s a growing concern for everyone. It’s hard for me to ignore this reality. While Arc Raiders demonstrates that generative AI doesn’t necessarily ruin a game, it hasn’t enhanced it either. Some may argue it streamlines workflows, but the final product doesn’t seem improved by generative AI, raising the question: is it worth the cost? As more developers voice their concerns about the challenges posed by generative AI, studios appear to adopt it out of fear of falling behind, often unaware that it can hinder progress for others. This will remain at the forefront of my mind as I continue my work. I plan to engage with developers about their intentions with this technology. We’ve reached a critical juncture, a fork in the road. We can normalize this technology, accepting it as inevitable and allowing it to permeate games, TV, books, and other art forms we cherish, or we can ask essential questions. Why are you using this tech? What problems does it solve? What issues does it create? Who benefits, and who gets left behind? Arc Raiders has sparked significant discussion on this topic as we close out 2025. It has made my personal Game of the Year choice feel awkward and uncomfortable, but it won’t be the last game of its kind. If executives continue to trade creative integrity for profit margins, it’s crucial that we challenge them to explain their reasoning.