In the upcoming release of "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown," players have discovered an odd detail regarding voice acting in the game. A minor non-player character (NPC), a tree spirit named Kalux, initially uses a text-to-speech (TTS) program for its dialogue. This seemed accidental as all other characters, including similar tree spirits, have human actors voicing them. Ubisoft acknowledged the oversight, stating that the TTS was a placeholder and will be fixed in a patch expected to arrive in late January or early February. The overall voice acting for the game includes more than 12,000 lines in multiple languages, with full voice-over in English, French, Spanish, German, and Farsi. This situation highlights growing concerns around the use of AI in replacing human jobs, such as voice acting, in the gaming industry. Ubisoft, among others, has been exploring AI technology such as Nvidia's Avatar Cloud Engine, which can facilitate lifelike NPC interactions.

Will there be a day one patch for "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown"?

Yes, there is a day one patch for "Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown," but it will not address the TTS voice for Kalux. This issue is expected to be rectified in a different patch targeting late January or early February.

"Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown" is part of a historic franchise that dates back to 1989 when the original "Prince of Persia" was released and became renowned for its fluid animation and platforming gameplay. The series has gone through various iterations and reboots, with "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" being one of the most influential due to its pioneering time-control mechanic. As a storied series, anticipation for new entries is high, and fans closely follow development updates, making news like the voice acting issue noteworthy.