Since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming Songs of the Past expansion will require more voice lines to be recorded, CD Projekt RED has teamed up with protagonist Geralt’s original voice actors. That includes Polish actor Jacek Rozenek, who worked with the team as recently as 2022 for the new quest added with the Next-Gen Update.
However, Rozenek suffered a stroke all the way back in 2019, and since then, he has been slowly rehabilitating. While his speech returned in time for the 2022 update, he also said, “I was so exhausted after this recording”. Interestingly, he also started to relate to Geralt more when it comes to the challenges he faces with his rehabilitation and recovery. “Now I can understand what the Witcher’s work actually is.”
However, Rozenek’s health issues have undoubtedly created a problem for CD Projekt RED, since the studio wants him to once more reprise the role. And since an entire expansion’s worth of content would also involve recording several new lines, including new “reactions, battle cries, one-liners” along with the typical story dialog one would expect, the two would need to find another solution.
According to Game File, the company has decided to work with an AI company called Respeecher, through which Rozenek’s voice could be altered to create more dialog. As caught by ResetEra user OdjnRyu, this won’t be the first time for CD Projekt RED. It last used the tool in Cyberpunk 2077 for voice acting work that was previously being handled by a voice actor who has since passed away. The company, however, has maintained its stance on receiving permission from the voice actors and their families when doing so, and is using Respeecher with Rozenek’s blessing.
As for the importance of him reprising the role, the voice actor’s performance has been heavily praised by Polish players, many comparing it with that of Geralt’s English voice actor, Doug Cockle. OdjnRyu themselves have noted that Rozenek is “the definitive voice of Geralt” for them since they played the first three games with English text and Polish voices. “I was saddened to hear about his stroke in 2019, and I am curious to see how these altered recordings will pan out in Songs of the Past.”
Ethics of using generative AI tools to assist voice acting aside, many have also raised the question of whether the generated voice lines will be able to achieve the high quality that a real voice actor typically brings to the table. Despite the rapid progress of such tools, it can still be quite easy to tell when images, videos, or sounds made with generative AI pop up, and as such, some are worried that this might lead to moments in the expansion that break their immersion.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past is coming to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027.
