The Witcher 3’s performance director can’t see AI “fully replacing actors,” mostly because “it can’t replace that human spark.”
The conversation around AI in gaming isn’t exactly new. For a while now, people 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.
“I just don’t see it ever fully replacing actors” she tells Edge in issue 409, which is on sale now. “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 characters 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 energy in a dev team shifts when actors come onboard. Those scripted lines 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 certain 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 emotional intelligence.”
Those little moments of vulnerability or surprise, those micro expressions that land just right, come from a place AI can’t reach. Not yet, at least.
Here’s everything we know about The Witcher 4, which we imagine won’t feature AI.
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