Witcher 3 Geralt voice actor agrees to AI assistance for return after stroke

Jacek Rozenek approves AI technology to help recreate his original Geralt voice for new Witcher 3 expansion

Jacek Rozenek, the Polish voice actor behind Geralt in The Witcher games, has approved the use of artificial intelligence to help recreate his original voice for the upcoming The Witcher 3 expansion, Songs of the Past.

Rozenek has voiced the monster hunter in Polish since CD Projekt Red's first Witcher game, recording approximately 10,000 lines for The Witcher 3 before returning for its Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions.

However, a stroke in 2019 left the actor unable to speak for months. Although he eventually returned to acting, his voice changed, becoming lower and gruffer.

This created a challenge for the development team as the new expansion takes place around the same period as the original game's main story.

Speaking to Game File, CD Projekt Red localisation producer Mikołaj Szwed explained that the team needed to account for the difference between Rozenek's original recordings and his current voice.

The change could be particularly noticeable during new battle cries and reactions heard while exploring familiar locations.

With Rozenek's approval, the studio contacted an AI company it had previously worked with to help make his new dialogue sound closer to his original performance.

The actor has undergone years of rehabilitation, including training his voice for six or seven hours each day. He previously recorded dialogue for a quest in The Witcher 3's 2022 next-generation update, although the session proved exhausting.

"I was so exhausted after this recording," Rozenek told Game File. "The point is that this voice should be as close as possible to my voice from 12 years ago," he added. "I have great trust…for the creators of this game."

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Songs of the Past is scheduled for release in 2027.