CD Projekt Red uses AI to match Geralt's Polish voice after actor's stroke

CD Projekt Red has turned to AI voice modification for the Polish version of Geralt of Rivia in the upcoming The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past expansion. The decision was made after the actor who voices Geralt in Polish, Jacek Rozenek, suffered a stroke in 2019 that changed his voice.

Rozenek was able to record some lines for The Witcher 3's 2022 next-gen update, but the process left him exhausted. For the new expansion, the studio wanted his performance to match the recordings he made over a decade ago for the base game and its earlier expansions. After a meeting confirmed that Rozenek's voice had become lower and rougher due to the stroke and aging, CD Projekt Red chose not to recast the role. Instead, they enlisted Ukrainian AI firm Respeecher to adjust his recordings to sound closer to the original takes. Rozenek gave his approval for the process.

This is not the first time the studio has used Respeecher. In 2023, the company applied similar technology to the Polish version of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. After voice actor Miłogost Reczek died in 2021, CD Projekt Red had another actor record new lines for his character Viktor Vektor, then used AI to make them sound like Reczek. The studio said it obtained permission from Reczek's family before proceeding.

CD Projekt localisation producer Mikołaj Szwed told Game File that using AI with consent and for a good purpose is one of the ethical ways to employ the technology. He called Rozenek's situation a special case. The studio has confirmed that Geralt's English voice actor Doug Cockle will not receive the same AI treatment for the expansion, and future Witcher games will not use AI on Rozenek's lines, as the passage of in-game time can explain any vocal changes.