Amid the news of an added duos mode and a new Helldivers 2-style community event, Arc Raiders has been dealing with some backlash. Embark Studios now has a track record of using generative AI for voice work in its games, first for The Finals and now for Arc Raiders, and it’s causing no small amount of controversy.
The studio has been a tad flighty around the subject when it comes to Arc Raiders; the story seems to change every time someone asks. But recently the CEO of Embark’s parent company Nexon, Junghun Lee, strongly defended the use of machine learning in game development, saying that “It’s important to assume every game company is now using AI.”
(Image credit: Embark Studios)
I’ve already given a list of all the reasons why I don’t agree with the above and why I feel its framing is disingenuous. But now other developers are wading into the discourse and saying it straight: not all studios use generative AI.
“Not only do we not use AI, we would rather cut off our own arms than do so,” Demonschool developer Necrosoft Games says in an official social media post. “Demonschool is 100% human-made.”
Not only do we not use AI we would rather cut off our own arms than do so. Demonschool is 100% human made. https://t.co/dEajGE6i0KNovember 12, 2025
Demonschool is a new-style tactics RPG with a sick retro neon art style. You can certainly tell it’s 100% human-made: AI can’t make visuals this full of personality: “Enjoy our artisanal handmade videogames.”
The idea of ‘human-made’ having to become a label tagged onto games going forward is migraine-inducing. I love art for its human touches, what it says about those who make it, those who play it, how you can connect with endless people through it and so on. We should expect human craftsmanship as the default.
This isn’t to say that Arc Raiders loses all of its credibility or enjoyment thanks to the use of generative AI in its voice lines. But it’s a frustrating, avoidable stain on what is otherwise a fantastic achievement, and Embark should have seen it coming after The Finals. Not only was the cheap and dirty option taken again for a studio that was bought for $96 million, but the studio doesn’t even seem to have figured out its messaging for when it inevitably kicked off a second controversy.
Frankly, I would’ve preferred no voice lines at all if it came to it. So I’m glad that Demonschool’s developers have set the record straight, because using generative AI instead of genuine creativity shouldn’t become the new standard.
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