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AI? Not in this house! Blizzard confirms new Mercy German voices lines are not AI-generated

BBG News

Following a post on the forum suggesting that the latest Mercy’s German voice lines were artificially generated, Blizzard addressed these concerns raised by the community.

The debate over whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used to generate content and art within gaming has sparked a lot of disagreement. Lately, a forum user on the Blizzard Entertainment platform asserted that Mercy’s new German voice lines weren’t her speaking; instead, they were AI-created. This statement attracted around 7,000 likes, leading to a response from Blizzard.

German Mercy voice lines

Two days ago, a conversation began on the Blizzard Entertainment forum initiated by a player who was displeased with the “Windows 95” voice in both the Battle Pass and Gundam event’s new Mercy German AI-generated voice lines. In their post, they voiced their dissatisfaction, stating that the voice lines in question were unacceptable. The individual expressed their disappointment by saying, “We’re not shelling out a lot of money for cosmetics just to receive this subpar treatment.

Initially, many users swiftly expressed their opinions on the matter. Later on, the original poster disclosed that the German voice actress for Mercy had announced she was no longer part of the role. They further emphasized the importance of Blizzard working closely with voice actors to maintain high-quality dialogue in future projects.

The player additionally noted that Microsoft plans to merge AI with their Blizzard gaming branch, a move that aligns with Microsoft’s openness about its focus on this technology. Moreover, there were discussions about incorporating Copilot AI within Overwatch 2, but these plans were rejected by Blizzard, reportedly due to concerns over potential cheating issues.

“Living in a dystopia”

Multiple gamers are expressing discontent towards AI-produced content. One gamer stated, “AI ought to aid in speeding up the production process; it shouldn’t replace the actual product.” Another hinted at a possible boycott until a solution is found that appeases all parties involved. Some even declared, “That should be completely prohibited”. The negative feedback continued on.

A number of players are expressing unhappiness over AI-generated content. One player stated, “AI should help speed up the production process; it shouldn’t take the place of the actual product.” Another suggested boycotting their games until a solution acceptable to all parties is found. Some even said it should be illegal. The negative reactions kept coming.

No AI-generated Mercy voice lines

Following a surge in engagement, with around 160 comments and close to 7,000 likes, Eric, our PR Manager, chimed in on the initial post. He made it clear that the voice lines were not produced by an AI system.

Instead, Blizzard admitted that certain voice lines in recent game content are temporarily unavailable or have been altered. They further stated, “To ensure fairness to all parties concerned, we won’t provide further comments until discussions are concluded. Our goal is to find a resolution that benefits everyone involved as quickly as possible, allowing us to reinstate the talents and contributions of these performers for player enjoyment.

The players were pleased that Blizzard provided clarity on the matter and are eagerly anticipating future developments. One player commented: “I hope a mutually beneficial resolution will be reached since regular Voice Actors play a significant role in the game’s success, particularly for the German version, based on my personal observations, and there seems to be a substantial fan base backing this.” Other players voiced their disapproval towards those who jumped to premature conclusions.

For some time now, discussions about AI and voice acting have been prevalent across numerous video games. However, as of currently, human voices will be the ones bringing your beloved Overwatch 2 characters to life.

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2025-05-02 03:10

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