CD Projekt RED’s Innovative Leap: Reviving a Legacy with AI

The demise of the skilled voice actor Miloš Reček in December 2021 left a void in the hearts of fans and the team at CD Projekt RED. His unique rendition as Victor Vector in Cyberpunk 2077 and Vesemir in Witcher had become iconic. The developers were now faced with a daunting question: what to do with the characters voiced by Reček?

Changing Course: From a New Actor to AI Technology

Initially, CD Projekt RED’s idea was straightforward: find a new actor and re-record all the lines. However, this plan was soon abandoned. Modern technology came to the rescue.

The team decided to hire a different actor for voicing Victor’s new lines in the project Phantom Liberty. The magic happened when the developers employed the voice cloning utility Respeecher based on AI. This tool allowed them to modify the recorded material so that the character sounded exactly like Reček. Thus, Miloš Reček’s voice will continue to live on in the worlds of Cyberpunk and Witcher.

AI Preserving Legacy

AI technologies are opening new horizons for game developers. With Respeecher, CD Projekt RED managed to preserve the actor’s legacy, giving his characters a new lease of life. This case is a wonderful example of how modern technologies help preserve timeless values.

It’s intriguing to ponder the further possibilities AI will unveil in the future. It becomes especially thrilling when we recall that some technologies, which seemed fantastical not long ago, are now reality. Who knows what awaits us ahead?