The Witcher 3 brings back beloved Geralt actor after stroke, with AI helping restore iconic voice

Geralt of Rivia's original Polish voice actor is returning to the beloved RPG using AI technology.

Jacek Rozenek, who voices Geralt in CD Projekt RED's acclaimed fantasy series, suffered a life-changing stroke in 2019 that significantly affected his speech. Despite extensive rehabilitation and eventually regaining his voice, the actor never quite sounded the same.

As reported by PC Gamer, Rozenek has now been able to reprise his iconic role for The Witcher 3's upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, using AI to recreate his original voice.

How AI helped The Witcher 3 actor return as Geralt after his stroke

Rozenek's stroke not only changed his voice but also presented significant challenges during his recovery. Determined to regain his speech, the actor reportedly underwent intensive rehabilitation, spending six to seven hours a day working on his voice.

When Rozenek was brought back to voice Geralt for the upcoming The Witcher 3 expansion, recreating the character's iconic gruff tone was understandably a challenge. However, with the actor's consent, Respeecher's AI technology was used to help restore the familiar voice fans have come to know and love.

Rather than having AI generate his dialogue entirely, Rozenek recorded the lines himself, with the technology helping recreate the sound of his original performance.

“I was so exhausted after this recording,” Rozenek told Game File, recalling his work on The Witcher 3's next-gen update in 2022.

“The point is that this voice should be as close as possible to my voice from 12 years ago,” he explained. “I have great trust in the creators of this game.”

“I do think this is one of those ways where you can use AI ethically, with consent and also to do something good,” said CD Projekt RED localisation producer Mikołaj Szwed.

Unfortunately, Rozenek isn't the only actor behind Geralt to have faced serious health issues. Doug Cockle, who voices the character in English, revealed in June 2023 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Thankfully, Cockle later shared a positive update following surgery, although he was still undergoing treatment at the time.

READ MORE: The 12 Best Witcher 3 Mods To Play While We Wait For Songs Of The Past

What is The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past, and when will it release?

Songs of the Past is the third major expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, arriving more than a decade after its two previous expansions, Hearts of Stone (2015) and Blood and Wine (2016).

"With Songs of the Past, it looks like this’ll be the final hurrah for Geralt as he has one last adventure, before Ciri takes over as the protagonist for The Witcher 4 and its proposed sequels. For fans, it’ll be bittersweet to see the character in action one last time, but for others, it’ll signify an important change in the way Witcher stories are told, and possibly for the better," we wrote in our hands-off preview earlier this year.

While an exact release date for Songs of the Past has yet to be announced, hopefully, CD Projekt RED will reveal more details in the coming months. As always, we'll keep you updated when we hear more.