CD Projekt Red uses AI to restore Geralt’s old Polish voice

CD Projekt Red is using artificial intelligence to make the Polish voice of Geralt in Songs of the Past, the new expansion for The Witcher 3, sound the way it used to. Dutch outlet Bright reported this on 12 November 2026, based on the developer’s interview with Game File. This is not a voice built without an actor: Jacek Rozenek, the Polish Geralt, records all the lines himself. The AI only adjusts the timbre.

Why did Geralt’s voice need to be adjusted?

According to Bright, Rozenek has been the Polish voice of Geralt since the first Witcher game. In 2019 he suffered a stroke that left him unable to speak for months and ultimately changed his voice permanently. After intensive rehabilitation he can work again, but his voice is now lower and rougher than before, Bright writes.

The Gamer, which cites Game File journalist Stephen Totilo, adds that CD Projekt Red first invited the actor to the studio to record some lines and measure how much his voice had changed. The finding was that his voice had recovered after the stroke but was lower and gruffer than when he first voiced Geralt more than ten years ago. According to The Gamer, Rozenek had already recorded a few new lines in 2021 for the next-gen update of The Witcher 3, released in 2022. Of that session he told Totilo: “I was so exhausted after this recording.”

The problem is mostly one of continuity. According to Bright, Songs of the Past is set around the same period as the base game. Old and new dialogue therefore play close together, and a sudden change in Geralt’s voice would stand out. That applies in every language the game is played in.

How does Respeecher’s voice technology work?

CD Projekt Red brought in Respeecher, a Ukrainian company that uses machine learning for speech synthesis and voice cloning. Voice conversion, as this company practices it, means software turns the timbre of a recording into that of another voice while the words and the intonation of the speaker stay in place. According to Respeecher, such processing preserves the actor’s emotions and intonation, Bright reports.

Localisation producer Mikołaj Szwed explained to Game File how the model was built. According to Push Square and PlayStation Universe, he said: “We basically delivered to Respeecher all the lines that Jacek recorded for us for The Witcher 3. They created an algorithm of his voice, based on his lines.” According to The Gamer, the work took dozens of hours, and capturing Rozenek’s emotional tone was the biggest challenge for Respeecher’s developers.

• Rozenek records all the Polish lines for Songs of the Past himself, Push Square reports.
• The model is trained on the recordings he previously made for The Witcher 3.
• Respeecher converts the timbre to match the Geralt of the base game.
• Only the Polish version is altered: in English, Doug Cockle voices Geralt again with no AI processing, Bright and Push Square report.

Is this acceptable for voice actors?

Game makers regularly face criticism when they use AI, Bright writes, and voice actors in particular are worried about the technology. Here the situation is different because the actor takes part himself. According to PlayStation Universe, Rozenek said: “The point is that this voice should be as close as possible to my voice from 12 years ago. I have great trust… for the creators of this game.” According to The Gamer, he added that he feels very good about the dynamics of the voice and the acting.

I do think this is one of those ways where you can use AI ethically, with consent and also to do something good.

According to Push Square, Szwed also said the company only considered this route because of Rozenek’s health issues, and after he had given his approval. It is not the first time the studio has used Respeecher. The Gamer recalls an earlier case in Cyberpunk 2077, that of Viktor Vektor: the Polish voice actor Miłogost Reczek had died, and with his son’s blessing the studio had his voice recreated for the expansion. The difference with Rozenek is that he is alive and records the lines himself.

What is still unclear?

The sources mention no payment for Rozenek and do not say how long the voice model will exist, who holds it or whether it could be used for other projects. They only say that he consented for this expansion. According to Bright, Songs of the Past arrives in 2027 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. According to PlayStation Universe, The Witcher 3 Remastered launched on 29 September 2026. The sources read give no exact release date for the expansion.

What does this change for businesses in the UK and beyond?

For game studios, dubbing houses and publishers in English-speaking markets, this example shows that voice AI can also be a way to keep an existing actor consistent across the years, not to replace him. For long-running projects with returning voices, such as expansions or sequels, it makes sense to set down in writing beforehand what a voice model may be used for, for how long and by whom. It also helps to be open with players and actors about what has been altered. Whether a company without its own AI supplier can do the same depends on the agreements with the actor and the supplier.