Given the visual fluidity of CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, it is surprising to define the game as a cross-generation release. Especially with the title originally intended to ship more than half a year before the release of the newest Xbox and PlayStation, the game stands out to truly be breathtaking. But of course with delays for the game releasing the first-person RPG in December now, more time can be utilized to perfect the final product.
In the most recent Night City Wire which went live this week, CD Projekt Red introduces facial performance suite JALI and elaborated on how responsive and easily formatted the software is. While lip syncing is a difficult process to master, even more with projects in 3D, JALI bridges the gap allowing developers to easily play audio and the system will interpret that into dynamic animations suiting the phonic sounds.
Elaborated during the livestream, CD Project Red illustrates that JALI can better display voice recordings more organically for characters. The tool can also be used to assist with localization for Cyberpunk 2077 as well in other languages. You can watch the JALI trailer in the video below:
“JALI is a suite of tools and a suite of services that results in, what we think, is the coolest and best and highest quality facial performance on characters,” Pif Edwards, JALI Research Inc. Co-Founder says. “It’s automatically generated on a face based on audio dialogue – audio speech from a voice actor.”
Expanding upon that, JALI is said to be a stress-free software package that reworks the facial animations based on the emotions portrays from the used audio. Rather than recalibrating the commands for the animations, developers can instead use a different command to align with the tone of the audio track used for the character.
During the same livestream, CD Projekt Red closed out the fifth and final episode with a new gameplay trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. The footage features an overview of Night City including the expansive customization options for V, a synopsis for the game’s plot, and plenty of jaw-dropping scenic shots of the game’s setting.
Elsewhere in the shared Night City Wire livestream, CD Projekt Red also covered the role of Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Silverhand and his involvement in the core storyline alongside featuring the development for score in Cyberpunk 2077. You can read the full report by heading here.
Cyberpunk 2077 is hitting Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, and Stadia on December 10, 2020.
The game is rated R18+ and will not be censored here in Australia, which should truly allow for the games creative vision to shine.