Arc Raiders is out today, and while a wild number of players have flocked to the game to celebrate its launch, it’s no secret that the extraction shooter shared a familiar point of controversy to Embark Studio’s prior game The Finals. That sore spot for many gaming enthusiasts is AI, a technology Embark has made no secret of exploring.
In The Finals, Embark Studios used text-to-speech AI in combination with real voice-actor performances to create fresh lines for the game quickly, something the developer came under fire for from voice actors and gamers alike. This implementation of AI has returned for Arc Raiders, alongside machine learning which has been used to create animations for Arc enemies when their pieces get destroyed, manifesting in dynamic movements.
Generative AI, the source of much understandable disdain, has not been used in Arc Raiders, Embark Studios CCO Stefan Strandberg tells Eurogamer. However, the team at Embark still intends to be on the “forefront of emerging technologies”. How does Embark strike that balance between human creativity and AI use at a time when doing so proves exceptionally controversial for good reason?
“We use AI as tools to assist in some content creation, but it’s always in the context of creativity, as an expression of the team,” Strandberg tells Eurogamer. “Obviously, it depends on how people define AI, which makes it trickier. The locomotion for some of our Arc enemies has been trained with machine learning, which creates these fantastic emergent moments. If you shoot off a leg, it’ll try to rebalance. That’s AI, if you will.”
Before founding Embark Studios alongside his peers, Strandberg worked at EA for many years. His roots at that company were in sound design, having worked on multiple Battlefield games in that role before transitioning into directorial positions at the company for several years. With this background, Strandberg spoke on the use of text-to-speech (or TTS) in Embark’s games, Arc Raiders included.
“I came out of recording just two days ago with two wonderful actors that you’ll have heard in the pre-order trailer. Those are real actors. There’s something special and dynamic about putting two people together that to me, being a sound designer originally, there’s nothing that can replace that in my opinion.
“TTS allows us to increase the scope of the game in some areas where we think it’s needed, or where there’s tedious repetition, in situations where the voice actors may not see it as valuable work. So it’s a wide umbrella, but the experience of the game doesn’t use any generative AI.”
According to Strandberg, the use of technology like text-to-speech AI has helped keep Embark Studios smaller, something he believes is exceptionally important given the current state of the video game industry: “We live in this time now where you’ve seen the increase of team sizes across the last ten years, and as a studio we felt that was unsustainable. Massive titles today, some IPs, demand 2,000 people. Then the next iteration needs 3,000 people!
“When we started the studio we were saying we should be able to capitalise more on these technologies that come out, but studios that were formed 15 years ago or so, they are just set up differently. We started with this in mind, how can we leverage new technologies, how can we push new technologies, while keeping the team small and taking creative risks. Also, it can help you increase the scope of a game and get features to be in a state that they wouldn’t be otherwise with such a small team. So I’m proud of what we’ve achieved there.”
Proud Strandberg may be, but a large question remains. Where exactly does the human element of Embark end and AI-assisted development begin? Is this a line fixed in place, or will it shift further towards automation in the future? What can be said to those concerned about a steady displacement of human talent? To this, Strandberg emphasises that despite Embark’s desire to embrace new technologies, such tools are not a replacement for developers.
“There are no shortcuts to making great games. You need so many things in place: a clear vision, a great culture, clear goals. The vision will inform how you get there.”
Strandberg elaborates: “We’re always leading with what allows us to create new and exciting player experiences, what can help us do that. The tools available to us now are just more and more exciting than they were. So, I’m thinking about it that way. Linking back to the automation, when you blow a leg off an enemy, and you’re seeing it struggle with one less leg, it’s a tiny moment but you’re almost playing with something with self-preservation. That’s tantalising to me. But that’s just one piece of that process was done with machine learning. It’s still what the design team wanted to do, the guiding principles are what the design team wanted this game to be.
“So as a team that’s super curious about this, you’ve got to think about what this enables us to do. But there’s no such thing as just auto-piloting development, just getting 40-enemies out in one week. That’s not a thing. So it’s guided by us, and we’re always on the lookout for how we can improve our own workflows. We started this studio with a massive set of procedural tools when it comes to world building, and we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are today without those investments.”
Arc Raiders is out now, and launch day connection errors seem to be largely fixed. If you’re curious about the game, why not read Eurogamer’s Arc Raiders preview here!