A recently releasedSkyrimmod has added the ability for players to use the voice ofThe Witcher 3’s Ciri for their Dragonborn. A crossover betweenSkyrimandThe Witcher 3might be unexpected to some players, but their settings aren’t actually too dissimilar, so it makes sense.
The modding scene has been the driving force inSkyrim’s enduring popularity over the last twelve years. While Bethesda has continued to port the game to every new platform, the modding community has continued to add huge amounts of content toSkyrim. At this point, gamers can turnSkyriminto pretty much any type of game they want. OneSkyrimplayer even modded their game to haveDark Souls-esque combat, bringing the combat of the base game out of 2011 and into the modern era. The sky is the limit forSkyrimmods, and the community looks to have plenty of legs in it yet, especially with the invention of AI voiceover technology.
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The mod, titled “Ciri DBVO Pack,” was uploaded to Nexus Mods by user xXFEARTCBXx, and adds the voice Ciri fromThe Witchergames toSkyrim. Using the power of rapidly improving AI voice generators, the user has fully voiced every line inSkyrim, and combines with theDragonborn Voiceover modto add Ciri’s voice to the game. The footage shown on the mod’s page is eerily accurate, with the line between reality and AI becoming slowly blurred as the technology continues to improve. While the debate about the legality and morality of AI voice generators rumbles on, there’s no question that the technology has revolutionized what’s possible for non-profit modders, with the barrier to entry massively reduced for many mod makers out there.
The Dragonborn Voiceover mod has been one of the biggest steps forward forSkyrimmodding in years. While the voiced protagonist was a controversial feature in Bethesda’s later title,Fallout 4,Skyrimhas been explored deeply by the community, and gamers are craving something fresh from the title. A voiced protagonist is the perfect way to do so. Fans are even adding other iconic video game characters toSkyrimas voiced protagonists. One modder even created aMaster Chief voice pack forSkyrim, adding the iconic sound of Steve Downes' supersoldier into the world of Tamriel.
While AI voice acting is almost certain to become a mainstay of the modding scene for many years to come, it’s unlikely it’ll make an appearance in the upcomingElder Scrolls 6. There are simply too many unknowns at the moment regarding the ethics and legality, and ultimately the technology might not be of sufficient quality for professional use at Bethesda yet. It has come a long way in such a short space of time, and it’s only poised to get better going forward, withAI voice acting already used in the recent releaseHigh on Life. Hopefully, the gaming industry can work out some clear guidelines for AI voice usage to ensure the technology is able to reach its full potential as ethically as possible.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Editionis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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