AI-Driven Lip Syncing Transforms Dialogue in Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 Launching with Multilingual Support and Advanced Lip Syncing Technology

Cyberpunk 2077 is set to launch soon, bringing an immersive RPG experience with dialogue support in ten languages and subtitles in several others. CD Projekt Red is enhancing player immersion through advanced artificial intelligence that lip syncs dialogue across multiple languages.

Mateusz Popławski, the game’s lead character technical director, confirmed that CDPR is aiming for superior lip sync quality compared to The Witcher 3. The targeted languages include English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin, and Japanese. This ambitious goal applies to every character in the expansive open world.

To achieve this without facial motion capture, CDPR partnered with Jali Research, utilizing their technology to procedurally generate realistic facial movements. Additionally, many characters in Cyberpunk 2077 will switch between languages mid-dialogue, requiring transcript tagging. This tagging adjusts facial expressions based on the character's emotional state, while audio analysis replicates the nuances of vocal performances in the animations.

CDPR builds on the algorithms used for animating cutscenes in The Witcher 3, marking a significant evolution in their approach. Unlike many games that rely on motion capture for a single language, Cyberpunk 2077’s innovations promise to maintain immersion for players who choose different languages.

While the procedurally generated animations may not match the detail of some AAA titles, they are designed to enrich the experience for players preferring to game in multiple languages. Players can explore these features firsthand when the game officially releases on November 19th.