CD Projekt used AI to restore Geralt's Polish voice for The Witcher 3 expansion

What CD Projekt changed

CD Projekt Red is building the Polish-language version of Songs of the Past, a story expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with generative AI. The studio used software from Respeecher to modify the voice of the actor who plays Geralt in Polish, Mikołaj Szwed, a localization producer at CD Projekt Red, told Game File.

Szwed described the case as specific. Jacek Rozenek has voiced Geralt in the Polish versions of CD Projekt's Witcher games since the first title. In 2019 he had a stroke and for several months could not speak. He returned to work in 2021, but his voice had changed: it became lower and rougher.

The studio worried that Polish players would notice a shift between scenes, with the older Rozenek in one line and the newer one in the next. With the actor's permission, CD Projekt used Respeecher's AI to give his current recordings the sound of his earlier voice. The algorithm was trained on tens of thousands of lines Rozenek recorded for the base game.

The actor's view

Rozenek said he has not heard his AI counterpart and appears not to plan to. He described the goal as keeping the voice close to how it sounded 12 years ago and said he trusts the game's creators.

Szwed said the situation is one of the cases where the use of artificial intelligence is morally justified, approved by the actor affected and aimed at a good outcome. CD Projekt Red also said it does not intend to use the algorithm to modify Rozenek's voice in the future.

The studio noted that a lower, rougher voice suits an older Geralt in The Witcher 4. CD Projekt previously worked with Respeecher to recreate the voice of a late Polish voice actor in Cyberpunk 2077.

Release dates

Songs of the Past is due in 2027 on PC through Steam, GOG, the Epic Games Store and Battle.net, and on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch 2. The Witcher 4 is expected in 2028 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.