Bandai Namco has denied using AI-generated voice acting for Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storms Connections following complaints from both fans and at least a couple of the game’s voice actors.
Following the game’s launch earlier this month, many fans have taken umbrage with some of the voice performances from its English dub since they sound out of place and don’t match what’s happening on-screen. When pressed about it, voice actors Maile Flanagan and Michael Schwalbe expressed similar confusion, saying they don’t recall ever reading certain lines like how they are in the game.
This soon led to theories and accusations of Bandai Namco using AI for some of the voicework, though there has not been any definitive proof this was the case. Since then, Bandai Namco has provided a statement to Dot Esports, saying there was no AI involvement whatsoever and that the bizarre line reads are the fault of editing issues.
“Regarding the reports about several voice over lines in Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections, Bandai Namco Entertainment can confirm that the lines in question were not AI generated, but the result of inconsistencies during the editing/mastering process,” Bandai Namco’s statement reads. “We regret that this raised a concern with Naruto fans and the voice acting community. We are currently working to fix the voice lines in question, which will be patched in the near future.”
While fans might be happy to hear Bandai Namco say it isn’t making use of AI-generated voicework, the concept remains a very real risk for professional voice actors. If companies are able to replicate voices using a computer for free, why would they pay an actual person to do it? Aside from the fear of losing their jobs to a machine, other concerns raised by voice actors include losing out on residuals (would they be fairly compensated every time an AI copy of their voice is used?) and having their voices used even after they’ve died without their consent.
