The Witcher 3 performance director can't see AI fully replacing actors, especially not for games wanting to focus on a "strong story" as "It can’t replace that human spark"

The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt
(Image credit: CD Projekt Red)

The Witcher 3's performance director can't see AI "fully replacing actors," mostly because "it can't replace tha🌃t human spark."

The conversation around AI in gaming isn’t exactly new. For a while now, peo🌼ple have been wondering if artificial intelligence might eventually replace human actors. But if you ask Kate Saxon - the acclaimed performance director behind the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - she’s not convinced.

. “At least not in the kinds of gams that truly care about strong storytelling, rich characters, and meaningful dialogue.”

It’s not just about delivering lines or syncing up facial animations. For Saxon, it goes much deeper. “There’s something missing - something 🉐you can’t quite quantify - that lifts a performance from decent to genuinely moving.”

And it’s that ‘something’ that brings characteꦰrs to life.

Saxon has witnessed the impact firsthand with over two decades of experience that have seen her name attached to games such as Fable II and Alien🀅: Isolation. One of her favourite moments? When voice actors finally join a project. “It’s the point where characters stop being just drawings or words on a page,” she explains. “That’s when they start to breathe. They get a pulse.”

She describes how the energ🦋y in a dev team shifts when actors come onboard. Those scripted line🐷s and concept designs suddenly start feeling real, like living, feeling people.

Yes, AI tools are evolving quickly. I can understand why some studios might explore automation for ce𝕴rtain jobs, like generating background chatter or giving a minor NPC a voice. It can save time and resources.

But when it comes to the main characters, the emotional heart of a game? That’s where Saxon believes AI still falls short. “Actors bring more than just their voices,” she says. “They bring life experience, their instincts, their e🍃motional intelligence.”

Th💫ose little moments of vulnerability or surprise, those micro expressions that land just right, come from a place AI can’t reach. Not yet, at lea꧒st.

Here's everything we know about 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Witcher 4, which we imagine won't feature AI.

Nathan Walters originally joined Future in February 2022 as a deals writer and is based in Cardiff, Wales. He has covered topics such as graphics cards, mobile phones, and game consoles for sites like TechRadar, TomsGuide, and Tom’s Hardware. He has also written money-saving advice for multiple publications such as Moneynet, NationalWorld, iPaper, Pick Me Up! And My Weekly. Nathan is an avid video game and tabletop player who loves writing, and in his spare time, you can find him playing D&D, grinding in Guild Wars 2 or writing reviꦅews on his website GameReport.

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