Darkest Dungeon Devs Refuse AI Voice Cloning
▼ Summary
– Darkest Dungeon narrator Wayne June died in January 2025; director Chris Bourassa confirmed he would not use generative AI to replicate his voice.
– June offered permission in his final emails for Red Hook to train AI on his voice, but Bourassa declined the offer.
– Bourassa stated he would never erode June’s human performances by teaching a machine to sound like him.
– Bourassa praised June’s baritone and cadence, calling his work woven into the industry’s fabric.
– The article contrasts Red Hook’s decision with other studios using AI to mimic deceased actors, like Cyberpunk 2077’s Polish version.
There’s simply no replacing Wayne June in Darkest Dungeon. Much like Logan Cunningham’s unforgettable narration in Bastion, every crushing defeat and hard-won victory in Red Hook Studios’ grim dungeon crawler is defined by June’s deeply sorrowful, unyielding voice. After his passing in January 2025, director Chris Bourassa made it clear that generative AI will never be used to resurrect his performance.
“In one of his last emails to me, Wayne gave us permission to train an AI on his voice, something he’d staunchly opposed prior to the end,” Bourassa wrote this week on the Darkest Dungeon subreddit. Fans had been discussing how a potential Darkest Dungeon 3 could handle the loss of the actor’s singular talent. “We’d never asked to do it. I think he was trying to put the game/team/fans first – offer us a ‘way forward’. I declined, and we donated to his family anyway.”
Other studios have taken a different path. CD Projekt Red used generative AI to mimic the voice of the Polish-language actor for Viktor Vektor after his death from cancer in 2021. When a modder tried to swap Elias Toufexis’ voice into Cyberpunk 2077 using AI, the Deus Ex actor responded bluntly: “Do not fcking do that.” Epic Games even employed AI to have James Earl Jones voice Darth Vader in Fortnite*. Red Hook Studios, however, is drawing a firm line where others have not.
“I would never, ever erode his incredible and timeless performances by teaching a machine to sound like him,” Bourassa wrote. “His voice and delivery was human, and I’m forever grateful I got to write for him.”
June’s voice resonates especially deeply in Darkest Dungeon 2, where the roguelike structure allows more room for dramatic storytelling and ambient tension. “Wayne’s singular baritone and masterful cadence elevated everything he read. He was a consummate professional, and his love of his craft was an inspiration,” Bourassa said at the time of his passing. “His inimitable work is woven into the very fabric of our industry in a way that cannot be forgotten.”
(Source: Kotaku)