AI has recreated the voice of the late Cyberpunk 2077 actor for the Phantom Liberty add-on

CD Project RED/Cyberpunk 2077.

CD Project RED has used speech synthesis technology to recreate the voice of deceased actor Miłogost "Miłek" Reczek in the Phantom Liberty add-on for Cyberpunk 2077.

Here's What We Know

Reczek voiced Dr Viktor Vektor in the Polish version of the original Cyberpunk 2077 game. However, the actor passed away in 2021 and did not have time to record the role for the Phantom Liberty DLC.

Information about reproducing Recek's voice using artificial intelligence first surfaced about a month ago, even before the release of Phantom Liberty. However, the studio has now decided to explain its decision.

According to localisation director Mikołaj Szwed, the company considered re-recording the entire role (both the original game and DLC) with a replacement actor. However, the studio decided against it in order not to lose Reček's game.

The developers turned to Respeecher, a Ukrainian startup specialising in AI-assisted voice synthesis. They got permission from the actor's family to create the voice algorithm.

Another actor, Janusz Zadura, recorded new Victor Vector lines for the DLC. Respeecher's AI algorithm then dubbed them with the voice of the late Milek Reczek.

Flashback

Respeecher's technology has already been used in several Star Wars projects. The company synthesised the voice of a young Luke Skywalker for the second season finale of Mandalorian, and voiced Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi with the permission of James Earl Jones.

Source: The Verge