Developer CD Projekt Red has confirmed to Game File that it will be working with AI company Respeecher to correct Polish actor Jacek Rozenek’s voice lines for the upcoming Witcher 3 expansion “Songs of the Past.” Noted as being a “special case” by CDPR localization director Mikołaj Szwed, the decision was made because the company wanted to keep Rozenek involved after he had suffered a stroke back in 2019. Rozenek has been the Polish voice for Geralt since the original game in 2007, which means his absence would be noticeable.
Months after Rozenek suffered his stroke, he was unable to speak at all. In 2021 after years of rehabilitation, his speech returned, and he trained between six and seven hours each day to sound similar to his previous self. He voiced additional lines for a new quest included in The Witcher 3’s “next-gen” update in 2022, telling Game File, “I was so exhausted after this recording.” In a way, this struggle helped him relate even more to Geralt, who faces seemingly insurmountable odds on many quests.
When CDPR decided it wanted another expansion, though, the sheer quantity of new lines needed would have pushed Rozenek beyond what he is capable of. That’s where Respeecher’s AI comes in. Since Songs of the Past takes place within the same time frame as the base Witcher 3 campaign, Geralt couldn’t sound older. Age comes for us all, but suffering a severe health condition also changes one dramatically. CDPR noticed this, but still wanted Rozenek.
Thankfully, Rozenek and the developer came to an agreement that Respeecher would be the answer. “The point is that this voice should be as close as possible to my voice from 12 years ago,” Rozenek said. “I have great trust …for the creators of this game.” He voiced the lines as best as he could, and CDPR took that to Respeecher to have it match the tone and strength of Rozenek’s previous recordings. The AI was trained on his past Witcher 3 material, which developed an algorithm to mimic his prior voice.
While it doesn’t seem like CDPR is gungho about AI, in general, Szwed told Game File, “I do think this is one of those ways where you can use AI ethically, with consent and also to do something good.” He specifically notes that the company wouldn’t have considered this option if Rozenek didn’t have health issues that impacted his performance. Recently, though, CDPR used Respeecher for the Polish dub of Cyberpunk 2077’s DLC, Phantom Liberty, to keep actor Miłogost Reczek’s voice after he passed away prior to the expansion’s release.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
